On the Wrong Foot
by GrnEydDvl
Summary: Hitsugaya Toushiro and Kurosaki Karin are stuck in a blind arranged marriage, and it’s hate at first sight. But first impressions can be deceiving. Can they overcome their initial negative reactions and learn to love each other? HitsuKarin AU
1. An Arranged Marriage

**Yay, a new story! I'm not promising that this will be another "Reincarnation", but I'll do my best.**

**Just to make things clear, this is an alternate universe story. I'm not exactly sure what kind of world it is, and because of that I'm going to make up some laws and traditions, but let's just say it's an older place with no electricity or cars or anything. I just think that's an easier time period to convert the Bleach world to. Oh, and both Karin and Hitsugaya are 17 at the start, which I hope will be made painfully obvious. Anyway, enough ramblings, and I hope you enjoy this new creation.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or any of its characters. I only own my own characters and ideas.**

"No!"

"But Karin…"

"NO! Absolutely not! I'm not ready to get married!"

"But Karin," Isshin whined, "you're turning eighteen in three days! If I don't marry you off soon, Yamamoto will recruit you!" It was the law in their land. Any person who turned eighteen without a pressing reason to stay home was immediately recruited into the imperial army. King Yamamoto had set that rule in place ages ago. And people that left for the army often did not return for years, and, if they returned at all, they had nothing good to say about it. It didn't matter that Karin was a woman. That was irrelevant to Yamamoto. And it was said that the women were treated even worse than the men.

"Can't you come up with another reason why I can't go!?" Karin protested desperately. "Like, I'm ill or something? Or, I've got to take care of you?" Isshin frowned.

"Karin, you know those excuses don't work. God knows people have tried. In your situation, marriage is really the only way out." It was unfortunately true. Karin's older brother, Ichigo, had married for the same reason ages ago, and her twin sister Yuzu had agreed to be married off last year to save her husband from going.

"But who on earth am I going to marry?" she cried furiously. "Ichi-nii knew Rukia forever, they _wanted_ to get married! And Yuzu always had a crush on Jinta! But I don't have anyone like that!" Isshin sighed. He knew how hard this was on his daughter, but he also knew that he had no choice.

"You only have one option Karin. An arranged marriage."

"No!" Karin stated soundly. "No way am I having an arranged marriage. It's not fair!"

"If you can find another way for you to get married before your birthday, I would love to hear it!" He came over to Karin and placed a steady hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. But I've found a nice boy for you. He's…"

"What?!" Karin screamed, slapping her father's arm away from her.

"Oh, Karin, don't abuse me so!" Isshin pouted, but Karin wasn't finished with him.

"This isn't the time for jokes oyaji!" she screeched. "When did you arrange this?!"

"This morning," Isshin replied. "The boy is rich…"

"Don't care."

"Handsome…"

"Don't care even more!"

"And is the son of an old friend of your mother's. However, both his parents passed away a few years ago, so he lives alone." Karin pondered that. At least there wouldn't be any in-laws for her to take care of. That was a plus. And the fact that his parents had been friends with her mother meant that he couldn't be too bad. She still hated the thought of marrying some guy she had never met. But, considering her options, marriage did sound marginally better than conscription into the army. But only marginally.

"Fine," Karin spat. "When are we having this stupid wedding?" Isshin braced himself.

"Tomorrow," he said weakly, and Karin swelled with anger. Tomorrow! That was it?! This morning she had woken up carefree (well, as carefree as she could be with her eighteenth birthday coming up), and suddenly, it was her last day as a free woman! She hated this! But, she reasoned with herself, she should have been expecting it. There was absolutely no way her father was going to let her go to the army. None. She sighed.

"I'm going out!" she stated, and Isshin made no move to stop her. He knew better. There were few things more hazardous for your health than an angry Karin. And right now, she was more furious than he had ever seen her, and that was saying something.

ooooooooooooooo

Hitsugaya Toushiro was in a foul mood.

"I can't believe I'm resorting to an arranged marriage," he mumbled, shaking his head. "I never thought it would come to this." His cousin Momo, gazed at him with pity.

"Arranged marriages aren't so bad," she said encouragingly. "I'm perfectly happy." Hitsugaya glared at her.

"Yeah, but you've been smitten with Aizen since you first laid eyes on him." Momo blushed.

"Is there anything wrong with being in love with my husband?" she asked shyly. Hitsugaya sighed.

"No," he replied offhandedly, turning to glance out the window. He actually considered himself rather lucky that he was getting married. His eighteenth birthday was in two weeks and he had had absolutely no idea how he was going to get out of entering the army. The only unmarried women he knew were his servants' children, but he couldn't very well marry one of them. And although he had taken over his father's business after his death, and therefore had a decent number of work connections, none of them had been able to come up with a girl of marital age who wasn't already promised to someone else. Unmarried seventeen year-olds were a sought after commodity in this kingdom. He had just about given up hope, and had even begun his preparations to see that his estate would be in order when he returned from the army, when he had received a surprise visit from Kurosaki Isshin. Hitsugaya had met him only once before, but he had been three years old at the time and barely remembered him. But he did recognize the name Kurosaki Masaki, who had been the man's wife. His mother had grown up with her, and often spoke fondly of her. But his mother had lost contact with the Kurosakis after Masaki's death over thirteen years ago.

Apparently, Isshin had an unmarried daughter who was about to turn eighteen and, in his desperation to keep her out of the army, he remembered Hitsugaya. So he had paid him a visit that morning, and Hitsugaya had accepted the man's proposal of a union between the two of them. He really had no choice. But that didn't mean he was excited about the prospect of getting married to a complete stranger.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Hitsugaya said and his head servant, Matsumoto, entered with tea.

"Thanks Matsumoto," he acknowledged as she placed the tea in front of them. "How are plans going for the wedding?"

"Just fine Hitsugaya-sama," she chimed, trying to be as cheery as possible. "We've set up the garden just like you asked, and the cooks are preparing the feast. The tailor has been contacted, and he's making an outfit for you. At some point today, you should probably go in and get yourself fitted." Hitsugaya sighed. He was not mentally prepared for this. He had only decided to get married a few hours ago, yet all of a sudden, everything was ready for the wedding. It was kind of surreal. And the fact that he knew absolutely nothing about his bride made it even more strange. He wasn't looking forward to this at all.

"Thanks Matsumoto. I'll go right now." He stood to leave.

"Do you want me to come with you Shiro-chan?" Momo asked gently. Hitsugaya shook his head.

"No, I'll go by myself thanks," he replied blandly. "I'd kind of like to be alone for a bit." He left the room and the two women exchanged pitying looks.

"He didn't even yell at me for calling him Shiro-chan," Momo noted sadly. "He must really be upset."

"I don't blame him," Matsumoto replied. "No one really wants to marry a stranger. I just hope they get along. Hitsugaya-sama's had enough hardships in his life. He doesn't need any more." Momo nodded her agreement.

oooooooooooooooo

Karin wandered aimlessly through the streets of Karakura, trying her best to enjoy her last moments of freedom. But it wasn't easy. Thoughts of her upcoming wedding consumed her, and she found herself thinking unwittingly about her husband-to-be. And they were none to pleasant thoughts.

"I bet he's a controlling little drunkard who lazes around all day getting fat," she thought furiously, endowing this imagined husband with the worst traits she could possibly imagine. "He's probably just a spoiled rich kid who's used to getting waited on hand and foot and will expect me to act just like one of his servants. I'm sure he doesn't do anything for himself, the bum! Oh, and no sense of adventure to speak of. He'd rather watch sports than play them and has never left his estate in his life, let alone traveled!" Karin knew she was being unfair to this person she had never met, but at the moment, she really couldn't bring herself to care. This was way more satisfying.

She walked past a very familiar candy shop and decided that some ice cream might serve her well. At least she could drown her sorrows in chocolate. She entered the shop and a man in a green and white striped hat and wooden sandals looked up at her.

"Ah, Karin, it's good to see you!" he said jovially, waving a white fan in his face. "And how are you doing this fine morning?"

"Not to good Urahara," Karin replied. He sighed and dropped his enthusiastic demeanor.

"Well, everyone feels like that before they enter the army. Ururu was the same way, and it didn't turn out so badly now did it?" That, Karin knew, was a bold faced lie. Urahara was an old friend of her father's, so she had known the man and his children her whole life. Her sister Yuzu had even married the man's son, Jinta. But his daughter Ururu hadn't been so lucky. She hadn't been able to find a husband, so she succumbed to her fate and went to the army. Karin remembered Ururu as a spunky, spirited girl, always laughing and playing. Karin had admired her. She left for the army when Karin was ten, and only returned last year. But she was broken. Her laughs, when they happened, were quiet and stopped abruptly. She was meek and shy and jumped at small noises. But she could be deadly serious if trouble arose, almost like a machine. That was what the army did to people. It destroyed them.

"Actually," Karin corrected him, "I'm not joining the army. I'm getting married."

"Oh?" he asked curiously. "When did this happen?"

"This morning," Karin replied grudgingly. "Oyaji arranged it."

"I'm actually surprised," Uruahra said thoughtfully. "I never thought you would be one to agree to such a thing." Karin smiled bravely.

"What choice do I have?" She examined the floor and Urahara didn't reply. There was no need.

"So who's the lucky boy?" he asked curiously? Karin glared at him.

"Don't know, don't care. Heck, I don't even know his name!" she realized suddenly. Her father hadn't told her before she stormed out of the house. Not that it mattered.

"Hey, let me get you something to cheer you up!" Urahara offered. "Does chocolate raspberry ice cream sound good? On the house." Karin smiled. It was her favorite.

"Thanks Uraraha," she said gratefully.

ooooooooooooooooooo

The ice cream did nothing to lighten Karin's mood. As she continued her wanderings and ate absentmindedly, she started developing new ways to hate this person who she still really knew nothing about.

"I bet he hates sweets," she thought vindictively, licking her ice cream. She rounded the corner and bashed headlong into someone, knocking her ice cream out of her hand.

"What the heck!" the person cried as he looked down at his chocolate and raspberry covered chest.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" Karin yelled. She too was coated in ice cream, and it didn't feel particularly pleasant. She looked up at the person she had run into. He was slightly taller than her with white hair and startling green eyes. He was probably seventeen, she thought, since eighteen year olds were non-existent on the streets of Karakura. If she hadn't been so pissed, she might have found him attractive. But at the moment, Karin just wanted to scream.

"Oi, you think this is my fault?" the boy cried.

"That's what I said!"

"Damn it!" he swore, looking down at the package in his hands which, on closer inspection, Karin could see was a rather expensive looking outfit. Unfortunately, that too was dripping with melting ice cream. "These stains are never going to come out. I just spent the last hour getting this tailored, and now it's ruined."

"Well soooorry," Karin sneered. "Did I soil your precious outfit?" The boy glared at her.

"Yes you did! Are you going pay for it? It was expensive you know!" Karin scoffed.

"You hit me too. Don't blame me! Aren't you even going to apologize for running into me?"

"Aren't you?" he retorted. "You just cost me a lot of time and money."

"Not my problem!" she shouted, then turned on her heal and ran off. She was in serious need of a bath.

After walking a few blocks however, Karin realized how rude she had been. She had clearly destroyed something that was valuable to that person, yet she had been so absorbed in her own self-loathing, that she hadn't even apologized properly. She turned around and ran back to the scene of the crime, but by then the boy was gone. Feeling guilty, Karin headed home, deciding that if she ever saw the boy again, she would apologize.

ooooooooooooooo

"Hitsugaya-san!" the tailor gasped as he gazed at the stained outfit. "What happened?"

"Some girl crashed into me and spilled her ice cream," Hitsugaya explained. "Can you fix it?" The tailor shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry, but it's permanently stained. I'll have to make another one. Don't worry, I can still have it ready by tomorrow!" Hitsugaya groaned. He did not want to spend today running back and forth to the tailor, but it seemed that he had no choice. He thought back on the girl he had bumped into. She was rather plain looking, not particularly attractive, but not ugly either. But he was intrigued by her nonetheless. He had met few girls who had a tongue like that. Most women he knew would simply apologize profusely upon bumping into a stranger, regardless of whose fault it was. Yes, she had been incredibly rude to him, and yes, she had ruined his wedding outfit, but for some reason, Hitsugaya couldn't be too mad at her. She had had a crazed look in her eyes, like whatever she was shouting about had been more of an excuse to vent some pent up anger than anything else. He almost pitied her. He wondered vaguely if he would ever see her again.

"I'm getting married," he thought to himself. "I shouldn't be getting involved with any other women." So he pushed the girl into the back of his mind and reluctantly stood still for the tailor.

**I couldn't resist the spoiled rich kid reference. Anyway, please let me know what you think of this idea. It's a little odd, I know, but I hope I can make it work :)**


	2. The Wedding

**Thank you all for your encouraging reviews! I feel much better about this story, I wasn't sure if people were actually going to like the idea. Oh, and the thing with the army is just kind of a convenient excuse to get Karin to agree to an arranged marriage, since I can't think of another way to do it. There's no war going on or anything.**

"Gooooooooood moooooooorrrrrrrnnnnnnning Kaaaaaaaaaarin!" Isshin cried, breaking her door down in this effort to get in her room. But something was wrong and he knew it. He never got through her entire name without getting punched in the face.

"Karin?" he asked curiously, but she wasn't there. Thinking hard, Isshin went to the open window and stuck his head out.

"Found you!" he exclaimed. When Karin was upset or irritated, she often sat on the roof to calm her nerves. And she had been there all night.

"What do you want oyaji?" Karin groaned. If he was here, it meant that she had to come inside and get ready for her wedding. She was not looking forward to the prospect.

"You have visitors!" Isshin said excitedly. Karin raised an eyebrow. Visitors? Who on earth had come to see her? She jumped off the roof, landing on her father's head, and used him as a ramp to climb in the window. Ignoring his whiny protests, she headed into the kitchen and suddenly, all the air was being squeezed out of her lungs.

"EEEEEEE! I'm so excited! Karin-chan's getting married!"

"Let her go Yuzu," Rukia advised. "I think she's turning blue." Yuzu released Karin and beamed at her.

"You're getting married!" she sang. "Oh, I'm so excited for you!"

"That makes one of us," Karin mumbled, sitting down and grabbing an apple. She looked around the room. Her two siblings, Yuzu and Ichigo were there with their spouses. "What are you all doing here?" she muttered.

"Oh, Karin-chan, you didn't think we were going to miss your wedding did you?" Yuzu cooed. Karin groaned.

"Don't remind me. Maybe it'll go away."

"It's better than the army," Jinta pointed out. Karin scoffed.

"Hey Karin," Ichigo said as Karin went to take a bite out of her apple, "aren't you supposed to fast before the wedding?" It was technically the tradition that the bride and groom consumed no food before they took their vows, but Karin demonstrated just how much that meant to her by taking an enormous bite.

"Since when do you care about things like tradition Ichi-nii?" Karin asked as she chewed. Ichigo shrugged.

"I guess since I married this one," he replied, pointing his thumb at Rukia. "Living in the Kuchiki house does that kind of thing to you." Rukia elbowed him the stomach.

"Since when do I make you do stuff like that?" she demanded. Ichigo threw up his hands in defense.

"Hey, I didn't say it was you! But your brother's damn scary! I swear, Byakuya can shoot fire out of his eyes if you look at him the wrong way." He received another elbow in the gut.

"Don't talk about nii-sama like that!" she scolded.

"Oh yeah, I really want to get married now," Karin said sarcastically. Yuzu giggled.

"Anyway, Karin-chan, I brought you my wedding dress for you to wear," she said cheerily. "Why don't you go try it on?"

"Why?" Karin glowered. "The wedding's not for hours."

"Five," Yuzu stated. "And it will take me at least two to do your hair." Karin's head hit the table.

"Can't I just go like this?" she groaned.

"Yes Yuzu!" Isshin bellowed, finally having extracted himself from Karin's window frame and made it into the kitchen. "Make sure you dress her up splendidly! A person's wedding day is something they should remember with joy! Why, I remember when I was…" Karin was too lazy to hit her father, but luckily, Ichigo did it for her.

"It's too early for your ramblings!" he shouted angrily.

"Thanks Ichi-nii," Karin said gratefully before succumbing to her fate and reluctantly allowing Yuzu to drag her out of the kitchen.

ooooooooooooooooo

Hitsugaya was pacing back and forth in the entrance hall, getting more impatient by the second.

"Where are they?" he asked in irritation. "The wedding's supposed to start in half an hour?"

"I'm sure they'll be here Shiro-chan!" Momo said brightly.

"It's Hitsugaya!" he snapped more rudely than he meant to, but Momo simply giggled. Hitsugaya sighed.

"I wanted to have a chance to talk to her before the wedding, but now I don't think there'll be time."

"But Hitsugaya-kun," Momo protested. "The bride and groom aren't supposed to see each other's faces on their wedding day!" Along with the not eating, it was also traditional that both the bride and groom covered their faces for the ceremony. They weren't supposed to meet the morning of the wedding, the implication being that they couldn't actually look at each other until the ceremony was over. It was supposed to make it more special or something, but at times like this it was downright annoying.

"Even if I can't see her face, it still would be nice to talk to her," he said with a sigh. "I know absolutely nothing about her."

"Well you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other after the wedding," Momo said in an attempt to cheer him up. "It's normal for girls to be fashionably late." Hitsugaya scoffed. The thought of marrying a girl who was obsessed with her looks wasn't particularly appealing. He'd much rather be with someone who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty than someone who was "fashionably late." But, he realized, she was probably like most girls. Content to sit around and get pampered all day while worrying about fickle things like clothing and nails. He shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be having such negative thoughts, but they were inevitable.

The front door opened and Matsumoto poked her head in.

"Hitsugaya-sama, I think it's time you headed out to the garden." Hitsugaya took one last look out, searching for the nonexistent carriage, then followed Matsumoto out.

oooooooooooooooo

"Wow!" Yuzu marveled as the carriage pulled into the estate. "Look at this place!" It was enormous. In spite of herself, Karin raised her heavy veil to glance out the window. She saw sprawling acres of well manicured lawns, gardens, and trees. The house itself was actually quite impressive. It seemed welcoming and cheery, unlike many manors Karin had seen. A coat of arms containing a dragon spiraling around a sword was emblazoned above the front door.

"I told you Hitsugaya-kun was rich!" Isshin exclaimed.

"So his name is Hitsugaya?" Karin said blandly. Isshin looked shocked.

"Yes, Hitsugaya Toushiro, didn't I tell you?"

"No," Karin replied coolly. "You didn't tell me anything." She was incredibly bitter at the moment. She let her veil fall back into place and sat back in a huff. They were crammed like sardines in the tiny carriage which wasn't designed to hold so many people. Karin's dress took up a seat all to itself. The lack of air was doing nothing to lighten Karin's mood.

"Cheer up Karin," Jinta said encouragingly. "At least try to make an effort to be happy. You're miserable enough to wake the dead." Karin glared at him, but it was lost through her thick veil.

"Shut up!" she retorted.

"Oi, oi, everyone just calm down…!" Ichigo began, but was cut off because Karin's fist was suddenly occupying his mouth.

"You brat, what was that for?!" he cried.

"I'm perfectly calm, thank you very much!" Karin screamed.

"Ichigo's right Karin!" Isshin declared. "You should be happ…" but he too was forced to stop short as Karin punched him in the chest knocking all the wind out of him.

"Karin, quit it!" Ichigo cried, trying to separate her from Isshin. "There isn't room for this in here!" As if in response, the carriage jerked as it went over a rock, and several people knocked their heads together.

"Ow!" came the collective groan.

"See!" Ichigo jeered. Karin hit him again.

"I told you to quit it!" he cried. But he was suddenly hit by another fist; Rukia's this time.

"Don't yell at her!" she shouted. "Not today!"

"But she keeps hitting me!" he protested.

"Hey, let's all sing a happy song…" Isshin began, but was quickly silenced as everyone but Yuzu hit some area of his body. The battle royal was getting so intense that they didn't even notice that they had been parked for several minutes until the driver pounded on the roof.

"Damn it!" Karin swore. She opened the door and the family spilled out onto the grass. They assessed the damage and determined that it wasn't too bad (except for Isshin who had a cracked tooth, but no one really cared). The front door opened wide and a strawberry blond woman bounded out.

"Ah, the Kurosaki's, how wonderful to meet you!" she sang. Karin was practically blinded by her smile.

"I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya-sama's chief of staff," she introduced herself. "And you must be Karin-sama," she said brightly to the heap of cloth that Karin was hiding under. Karin nodded.

"His chief of staff is this attractive woman?" she thought to herself, not realizing what Matsumoto had called her in her anger at everything connected to this man. "I bet he's got a fetish. Well, he'll probably be quite disappointed with me." She smirked vindictively.

"If you'll follow me," Matsumoto continued, "we'd like to start the ceremony as soon as possible. All the guests have arrived and are already seated." Matsumoto led the family around the back of the house. It was a good fifteen minute walk to span the periphery, and another ten to reach the garden that had been set up for the wedding.

"I'm never going to learn my way around," Karin thought cynically. "This place is too big for its own good."

They reached the garden and if Karin had been in a better mood, she would have appreciated how spectacular it was. The explosion of color coming from every variety of flower she could imagine was augmented by wrought iron colonnades draped in ivy and small fountains gently spraying water.

"It's so pretty!" Yuzu gushed. Matsumoto beamed at her.

"Hitsugaya-sama takes great pride in this garden!" she bragged. Karin scoffed.

"I'll bet he's got a team of gardeners working around the clock. Poor souls," she thought miserably. "Where's the pride in that?"

Finally, they arrived at the wedding. Karin was impressed at how many guests Hitsugaya had managed to recruit in such a short period of time. She herself had only invited her family. She saw no reason to bring anyone else to this un-festive occasion.

"You're here!" someone squealed, and Karin turned to see a cute girl with black hair who was clutching the arm of a much taller man with brown, wavy locks and a genial smile. The girl and her arm attachment ran up to Karin.

"Hi, I'm Aizen Momo!" she eagerly introduced herself. "I'm Hitsugaya-kun's cousin. This is my husband, Souske."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Aizen said. Karin didn't respond until she felt a sharp elbow in her back.

"Ow…uh, it's a pleasure to meet you," she replied, then turned to glare at her brother. Unfortunately, he couldn't see her face due to her veil. She wished she could take the stupid thing off, but she had to wait until the ceremony was over.

"Hitsugaya-kun," Momo called. "They're here, they're here!" Karin's blood ran cold. Hitsugaya-kun? That was him wasn't it? Her husband-to-be. She turned in spite of herself and a person who she assumed was Hitsugaya emerged from a small group of people who were fussing over him. Karin held her breath. She couldn't see his face since it was hidden, and she couldn't tell how fat he was, owing to the fact that wedding outfits were notorious for being excessively large. He started to approach her, but before he could reach the family, the minister stepped between them and insisted that they get started.

"So much for a conversation _before_ the wedding," Karin thought bitterly.

The ceremony itself didn't take very long. Yuzu sniffled through all of it, and more than once Karin wanted to turn to her and yell, "If anyone should be crying, it should be me!" but she refrained.

The minister was nearing the end and Karin felt her palms get sweaty.

"Only a few more seconds," she thought vainly. "I can still get out of this."

"I now…"

"I can still run."

"…pronounce you…"

"Right there, there's a gate."

"…man…"

"I can hide out in the woods. Maybe the army won't find me."

"…and wife…"

"Damn!"

"You may kiss the bride." Karin took a deep breath. Her fate was sealed. She reached up and pulled her veil off her face as her new husband did the same.

Karin's jaw fell open, as did Hitsugaya's.

"YOU!" they cried in unison, and the audience gasped. Karin found herself swelling with more anger than she had ever felt in her life. This was the worst thing she could have possibly imagined. Yesterday, she felt guilty about crashing into this man, but today? Hah! He deserved every ounce of ice cream he got.

"Um…" the minister bumbled, clearly at a loss. "You…you may kiss the bride?" he said hopefully.

"Oh I'll give him a kiss alright," Karin snarled, and before anyone could move she had wound her hand back and decked him in the face.

**How very romantic of her :P**


	3. The Dragon Room

**Thank you thank you thank you all a thousand times for your wonderful reviews! They mean so much to me and you were all so thoughtful! I really really appreciate it :)**

Needless to say, festivities were thin on the ground at the wedding reception. There was a band playing music and servants darting back and forth, serving food. Rows of candles were brought out, signifying the arrival of twilight. It should have been perfect. But the guests were too busy whispering nervously to enjoy themselves much. And no one was more unhappy than the bride.

"Just go talk to him!" Yuzu pleaded.

"NO!" Karin insisted.

"Karin you sound like a child," Ichigo scolded her. Karin scowled.

"I don't care! I just married the biggest jerk I have ever met!"

"You didn't even give him a chance," Yuzu said desperately. "What did he do to you that was so awful?" Karin didn't reply. She felt foolish admitting the truth.

"That's right!" Isshin exclaimed. "You must have a positive attitude about this…oof," he grunted as Karin slugged him in the stomach.

"I'm not in the mood!" she shouted. With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off. She couldn't bear to listen to her family any more.

Hitsugaya watched her leave the party and sighed.

"What happened between you two Hitsugaya-kun?" Momo asked anxiously. "She seems to really hate you."

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed," he replied sourly, rubbing his bruised cheek. Karin packed a wallop. If he wasn't so upset about it, he would have been impressed with her strength. "I didn't do anything to her that should make her hate me this much. If anything, I should be the one who's mad! I don't know what to do."

"Try talking to her," Momo suggested. "Apologize for whatever it was that you did to upset her. Just, try to be nice. Don't let your temper get the better of you."

"When do I do that?" he shouted and Momo raised an eyebrow. Hitsugaya scoffed.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I'm just not in the best mood at the moment."

"That's ok Hitsugaya-kun!" she said brightly. "Now go get her." Hitsugaya sighed deeply, but inevitably decided to take Momo's advice. He at least, was willing to make an effort to get to know Karin better. Maybe their little "interaction" in town the day before had just been a misunderstanding. Taking a deep breath, he headed off in the direction where Karin had disappeared.

It took him a while to find her. The garden was a small maze and, although he knew his way around perfectly well, it was fairly easy for someone to hide. He heard her before he saw her, swearing up a storm not too far away. He rounded the corner and there she was, throwing rocks furiously into a pond and sending forceful ripples across the surface that crashed into the sides like mini tsunamis. The setting sun was visible in the distance and it cast eerie shadows over everything. Hitsugaya cleared his throat to announce his presence. Karin turned towards him and frowned.

"What do _you_ want?" she spat.

"To talk to you," he replied as patiently as he could. Karin scowled.

"Well I don't want to talk to you!" She turned away from him and launched another rock into the pond. Hitsugaya's patience broke. Forgetting what Momo had said about being nice, he rounded on her and shouted,

"Look you! I'm sorry for yesterday! Ok! It was just a stupid accident and I was rude, but so were you! So can we please just put it behind us and start over?!" Karin looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and Hitsugaya took this as a positive sign.

"Hi," he said, holding his hand out to her. "My name is Hitsugaya Toushiro. Nice to meet you." Karin raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding?" she said incredulously.

"What?" Hitsugaya defended. "We haven't really been introduced properly, so why not do it now?" Karin didn't answer, so he decided to switch tactics.

"Would you like a tour of the grounds?" he offered.

"Why would I want that?" Karin shot back.

"Um, well, you are going to live here from now on. I thought that maybe you'd like to get to know the place a little better." Karin scoffed. Hitsugaya suppressed a groan.

"How can I get through to her if she doesn't even want to try?" he wondered in exasperation. They stood in silence for a bit as Hitsugaya thought desperately of something to say.

"I'm tired!" Karin finally declared.

"What a brat," Hitsugaya thought, but he was at least intelligent enough not to say it out loud.

"Well, then go to sleep," he provided as politely as he could.

"Where?" Karin sneered. God, this girl was getting on his nerves.

"Wherever you like," he replied with a wave of his hand. "There're plenty of rooms. Just pick one." Karin cast him a wary look.

"You're not going to make me sleep in your bed?" she sneered. Hitsugaya looked affronted.

"Why would I do that?" he asked confused. Karin laughed harshly.

"Well, we are _married_ now," she said spitefully. "Isn't that what married people do?" Hitsugaya scoffed.

"As if I'd _want_ to sleep with someone who hates me so much. And let's get one thing straight right now!" he said with conviction. "I'm your husband. Not your master. We're equal partners in this relationship. I can't _make_ you do anything. Although, I'm getting the impression that I couldn't make you do something even if I wanted to." He offered her a small smirk, and Karin almost, _almost_, grinned. Hitsugaya sighed.

"Look," he said a little more gently. "Why don't you take the room next to mine? It's one of the larger guest rooms, and the view's pretty nice. I'll have your stuff brought in there. Ok?" Karin glared at him for a moment, then turned around and marched off. Hitsugaya was going to call after her, but quickly changed his mind and decided to just let her go. He rubbed his temples in exasperation.

"What am I going to do with her?" he wondered.

ooooooooooooooooo

Karin had no desire to return to the wedding party even to say goodbye to her family, so she gave the crowd a wide berth as she left the garden. She really just wanted to be alone. She was pretty sure that Hitsugaya wouldn't follow her, but the problem with that was, even if he had told her to go to the room next to his, she had absolutely no idea where that was. She knew that she should have accepted his offer of a tour, but her pride just wouldn't let her.

"I'll just find a servant to show me where to go," she thought, and with that encouraging decision, she headed off into the house.

It was dark inside so Karin couldn't tell a thing about the decorations or the layout. All she knew was that the house was huge. She stumbled around aimlessly for quite a while, but didn't meet anyone.

"Where is everyone?" she wondered. "Must be working the wedding." She had almost given up hope and was about to just crash in the hallway when she heard a voice call her name.

"Karin-sama!" Karin turned around and glared at the speaker, who, Karin realized, was Matsumoto.

"What did you just call me?" she barked, and Matsumoto checked.

"Well you are Hitsugaya-sama's wife," she explained. "You are the lady of the house and…"

"And I'm a person, just like you, so I don't want any of this sama crap, understand! Whatever he makes you call him is none of my concern!" Matsumoto smiled gently.

"I think you'll find that addressing people formally is a sign of affection in this house," she said, then giggled slightly at the look of bewilderment on Karin's face. "Anyway, I thought I might show you to your room, seeing as you've never been here before." Karin was about to retort, but then she realized that one, she really did need the help, and two, just because she hated Hitsugaya didn't mean she had anything against Matsumoto. There was no harm in being polite to her.

"Thanks," she said, and Matsumoto smiled again. She led her down the hallway and up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of an impressive looking oak door.

"Here you go Karin-sama, the dragon room." Karin groaned.

"It's got a name. Are you kidding me?" Matsumoto giggled.

"We gave it that name when Hitsugaya-sama was ten and thought that he had dragons living his closet," she said reminiscently.

"Wait!" Karin stopped her. "This is _his_ room! But he said…"

"Oh no," Matsumoto corrected her. "I mean well, yes it _was_ his room, but he moved into the master bedroom next door after his parents died."

"Oh," Karin said sheepishly, slightly embarrassed over the misunderstanding. "So, so he thought he had dragons in his closet?" she offered to cover for her moment. Matsumoto chuckled.

"The dragon has long been the symbol of the Hitsugaya household," she explained. "Hitsugaya-sama has always been enamored with them. When he was little, he invented some imaginary dragons to be his friends. Apparently, he had been doing that for years, but we only found out when he offered to let me borrow one for good luck while I was in the army." She sighed. "He almost broke my heart that day."

"Why?" Karin asked curiously in spite of herself.

"Well, Hitsugaya-sama's always been a bit isolated. He's quite reserved and doesn't branch out to people easily, so he didn't really have any friends growing up. Except possibly Momo-san, but she's older than him and she always had lots of friends, so she didn't have as much time for him as he probably would have liked. He grew up alone for the most part. So when I was leaving for the army and discovered that not only had he invented a horde of imaginary friends, but was also willing to part with one for my sake, I realized how lonely he really was, and how much he was going to miss me." She sighed. "I've been with this family since before Hitsugaya-sama was born. I love him like a son. I never realized how much he cared for me until that moment. By the time I returned from the army, his parents had died, Momo-san had gotten married, and he was all alone." Karin felt her heart go out to him unwittingly. But just a little.

"Well he seems to have plenty of friends now," she replied coolly, not willing to show that she was touched by the story. "The number of people that came to that wedding! And with only a day's notice too!" Matsumoto looked at her confused, then broke down laughing.

"Oh, but Karin-sama, those were the servants!"

"Huh?" Karin asked, utterly confused.

"Hitsugaya-sama wanted all the servants to come as guests to the wedding," she explained. "He gave them all the day off and told them to come celebrate with him." Karin raised an eyebrow. This guy wanted his servants at the wedding as _guests_? She would not have expected that from him.

"But then what about the servers?" she protested. "There were lots of servants running around."

"Outside people hired specifically for the occasion," Matsumoto told her. "Hitsugaya-sama didn't want his own people working at his wedding. He said it was their celebration too." Karin pondered this newfound knowledge. Maybe he wasn't as a bad a guy as she had made him out to be.

Matsumoto put a gentle hand on her shoulder and Karin looked at her.

"Karin-sama," she said affectionately. "Whatever grudge it is that you have against Hitsugaya-sama, I urge you to reconsider. He's not the easiest person in the world to get along with, I'll be the first to admit that. But he's kind and thoughtful and honest. He's cold, no doubt about it, but his shell does crack on occasion, and when it does, you'll find that his heart is incredibly warm. At least give him a chance. He may surprise you."

"I'll think about it," Karin replied offhandedly. "Thanks for showing me my room." Matsumoto smiled at her, then headed off down the hallway.

"My room's right here if you need anything," she called back over her shoulder, indicating another door at the end of the hall. "Don't hesitate to ask ok?"

"Sure sure," Karin replied before entering the "dragon room." Karin heaved an enormous sigh. It had been a long and emotionally draining day. Coupled with the fact that she hadn't slept at all the night before meant that Karin was exhausted. Deciding that she would leave exploration of the room for the following morning, Karin climbed out of her wedding dress, collapsed on the bed, and was asleep within minutes.

**I don't think this is quite as exciting as the last chapter, but I've got to soften her up somehow, and I think this is the best way to start. I hope I don't lose you here, because I promise things will lighten up soon.**


	4. Flowers and Soot

**I know I've said it before, but thanks again for supporting me! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one too (it's super long!)  
**

The brilliant sun streaming in through the windows awoke Karin from her sound slumber. She rolled over, unwilling to open her eyes, and waited for her father to burst into the room. When he didn't appear, she cracked an eye open curiously, and it took her a minute to remember where she was and why she wasn't in her room.

"Oh that's right," she realized, feeling like an idiot. "I got married." She didn't feel particularly like a bride though. Weren't brides supposed to wake up the next morning in a glowing haze, lying beside the man of their dreams? Karin scowled. She was still angry about all this.

Climbing out of bed, Karin stretched and went to check out the view. Hitsugaya's description of it as "pretty nice," turned out to be the understatement of the century. The room looked out over the vast garden she had been in last night, which, from her bird's eye view, appeared to be a veritable rainbow. She could see the winding maze made by the hedges and thought what a wonderful place it would be to wander and think. Last night she had been too preoccupied with other things to appreciate it, but today, she had to grudgingly admit that it was incredible.

Adjacent to the garden, Karin saw a small building made of brick. The windows looked horribly filthy, like they were coated with a thick layer of black carbon from way too many candles. An enormous clay vat sat in front and a large chimney was sending plumes of smoke into the sky. Karin wondered what on earth the building could be used for. She thought it might be a kitchen, owing to the amount of smoke coming out of the chimney, but she had never seen a kitchen that looked like that. And surely the windows in a kitchen would be a bit cleaner.

A knock on the door broke into Karin's thoughts.

"Are you awake Karin-sama," came a female voice, and Karin was at least relieved that it wasn't Hitsugaya.

"Yes," she replied. "Come in." A short girl entered. She had a pale face and deadpan eyes, telltale signs of a recent return from the army.

"My name is Nemu, Karin-sama," she introduced herself. "I have been asked to assist you with anything you require." Karin smiled at the girl. She felt tremendous pity for her.

"Thanks, but I don't really need any help. I'm capable of getting dressed on my own. Oh, and please call me Karin."

"Alright Karin-sama," Nemu replied in a monotone, and Karin wondered if she had even heard her. "When you are finished, Hitsugaya-sama requests that you join him for breakfast." Karin suppressed a groan.

"Well, you can tell _Hitsugaya-sama_ that I am not hungry." She turned back to the window.

"As you wish," Nemu replied before bowing herself out. Karin sighed. As bad as her situation was, she had to admit that it was better than the army. Seeing Nemu was a sharp reminder of what awaited her otherwise. She had no desire to end up like that, and wondered vaguely where Matsumoto got her energy. Most girls returned from the army like Nemu, broken and hollow, with no sense of self.

"I suppose life here has to be better than that," she thought with a sigh. Her mind wandered back to the previous evening, and to her new husband. She had been too outraged to do much of anything other than yell when Hitsugaya had approached her in the garden, but now that she looked back on it, she was mildly impressed that he had had the guts to stand up to her like that, especially in the state she had been in. Yet, he hadn't been overbearing, just defensive. His words played again inside her head.

_"I'm your husband. Not your master. We're equal partners in this relationship. I can't __**make**__ you do anything."_

"At least he's got that going for him," she thought. But that didn't mean she was ready to meet with him just yet. She decided that she'd spend the day poking around the manor and see what other dirt she could dig up on this man.

"This was his room wasn't it?" she remembered and she looked at the "dragon room" properly for the first time. It was sparsely decorated, but it was still bright and warm. Karin could tell that it had belonged to a young, antisocial, teenage boy. There were bookshelves filled to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes. A collection of intricate and valuable looking swords hung on the wall. She saw a set of metals sitting on a shelf and went over to inspect them. Most of them were for swordsmanship or kendo, but she saw a few labeled "soccer championship."

"He plays soccer?" she thought in amazement. Karin had spent her childhood kicking a ball around in her backyard, but she had never had the opportunity to play formally. She loved the sport though, and often envied those kids who marched down the streets in their fancy uniforms on the way to games.

"So he was one of them," she said aloud. "Lucky rich stiff. I wonder if he still plays."

Satisfied with her inspection of the room, Karin got dressed and left to explore the rest of the house.

It was much brighter in the daytime and, now that she could see, Karin looked at the house appropriately. Each room had enormous bay windows that looked out over the grounds, but again, Karin was shocked by the lack of grandeur. She had been expecting an excessive display of wealth, but, while the house was massive, it was clear that Hitsugaya was no glutton. And in spite of herself, Karin was pleased. She liked the house. It seemed happy and human. Except for the swords. There were swords in nearly every room: long swords, short swords, swords with gems, swords with carvings, double edged, single edged, battle axes, antiques, swords designed for battle and swords strictly for display.

"He's obsessed," she mused, but the thought didn't really bother her so much. She almost thought it was cute. Naw, that couldn't be.

After several hours, Karin finally made her way out of the house and into the garden. She took her time strolling along, allowing the sound of the birds and the smell of the flowers to fill her senses. Everything seemed brighter in here. The trees were a little greener, the birds' song was a little clearer, and the water in the ponds and fountains reflected the light from the sun just a little bit more brilliantly than normal. There were flowers in more colors than she had ever imagined and even some that she didn't know existed. It was almost magical.

"How does he do it?" she wondered.

She heard voices in the distance and followed them. Turning the corner at a large bush with fluffy yellow flowers, she discovered two gardeners hard at work.

"Hi," she greeted them as she approached. They stopped their tilling and looked at her.

"Oh, you must be Karin-sama!" one exclaimed in haughty voice.

"Che," the other scoffed. "Yumichka, you don't have to be so nice to someone who hates Hitsugaya-sama so much."

"But Ikkaku," Yumichka pouted. "She is still the mistress of the house now. It's not beautiful to be rude to her."

"Speaking of being rude," Karin cut into their conversation, "I am standing right here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Yumichka said, bowing with a small flourish. "I'm Yumichka, the co-head gardener. My other co-head over there is Ikkaku, but I'm afraid he's not in a wonderful mood at the moment."

"Oi," Ikkaku threatened. Karin stifled a laugh and Ikkaku glared at her.

"You think something's funny?" he glowered.

"Yes I do!" Karin stated. "I think it's funny that a macho man like you is a gardener." Now it was Yumichka's turn to laugh as Ikkaku turned bright red.

"There's nothing embarrassing about the work I do!" he defended himself. "I'm in charge of all the physical labor, you know, the planting and hoeing and structural maintenance. It's much harder than it looks! Yumichka over there takes care of all the girly stuff like flower arranging."

"I take pride in my work," Yumichka retorted, sticking his nose in the air. "Someone like you couldn't possibly understand the subtleties involved in the art of gardening."

"You two did this?" Karin asked, clearly impressed. "I've got to say, I've never seen anything so incredible in my life. It's like a fairy tale." Yumichka looked like he was going to faint.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Karin-sama," he gushed, ringing her hand. "It feels so good to hear you say that." Ikkaku merely scoffed.

"Compliment or no, I still don't like you girl," he huffed. "Where do you get off hitting Hitsugaya-sama like that? He's a good kid, he doesn't deserve that."

"It's kind of a long story," Karin mumbled noncommittally. She was not in the mood to explain herself. "So, about this garden," she offered, hoping they would take up the change in topic.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-sama loves it in here," Yumichka said dreamily. "He says he needs the fresh air and the beauty of nature to contrast all the soot and darkness."

"Soot and darkness?" Karin asked confused. Yumichka didn't seem to understand her question.

"Yes of course," he replied.

"But why…?" she began, but Ikkaku cut her off.

"Oi, oi, how long are you going to keep distracting us?" he intoned. "We've got work to do."

"Oh yes, we must get these snapdragons planted before they begin wilting. I think they will accent the white jade bush rather nicely don't you?" Karin didn't know the first thing about flower arranging, but she nodded anyway.

"Well then, I'll just leave you to it," she said turning to leave.

"It was nice to meet you Karin-sama," Yumichka chimed.

"Oh, please just call me Karin," she called back over her shoulder. Yumichka gave her a hearty wave, but Ikkaku ignored her entirely.

"What a strange duo," she thought to herself as she walked away. "And that Ikkaku guy really seems to like Hitsugaya. But soot and darkness? What on earth does that mean?"

ooooooooooooooooooo

Karin wandered the garden for a little longer, finally exiting out a different gate than the one she had entered from, and emerging into a clearing facing that strange building with the billowing chimney and dirty windows she had seen from her bedroom. Curiosity peaked, she headed over to it.

As she got closer she noticed two things: an increase in temperature, and a high pitched clinking sound. She passed the large vat outside the entrance, which she saw now was labeled "water" and entered.

It was almost pitch black inside and it took Karin a minute for her eyes to adjust. She felt mildly like she had just entered a torture chamber. The heat in the room hit her like a brick wall and she could feel herself start to sweat. Rows and rows of strange, metallic tools in all shapes and sizes hung on the walls. A rack with more swords than Karin had ever seen in her life, including during her exploration of the house, stood in the corner. A massive furnace was lit in the center, and its dazzling orange glow provided the only light in the room. Several people in various states of filth ran back and forth or hammered on glowing strips of metal.

"Soot and darkness," Karin thought, finally understanding the reference. "It's a blacksmith forge. But why's it here?"

Karin stood in the doorway for a few moments before the workers noticed her presence. Someone nudged a man standing at the furnace. He looked up and had to squint to see who she was, since Karin was in silhouette.

"Who's there?" he called out. Karin stepped inside and the man's face lit up in recognition.

"You're Karin-sama," he exclaimed, coming over to her and wiping his sweaty, tattooed brow on his sleeve, leaving a dark streak of ash in his wake. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Just looking," she said with a shrug.

"Well, welcome to the smithy Karin-sama," the man said proudly. "My name's Abarai Renji, and I'm in charge here when Hitsugaya-sama's out."

"Renji," Karin repeated. "It's nice to meet you. Please call me Karin." She was getting sick of saying that. "So, what is this place?"

"Huh?" Renji asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like I said, it's the smithy. We do all the work out here."

"What work?" Karin finally yelled in exasperation. "Why does everyone assume I know this stuff?"

"Uh…" Renji stuttered. "Well, you did marry Hitsugaya-sama, so I guess we just assumed…"

"That I knew him?" she finished his sentence. "Well I don't. I don't know anything about the man."

"It sure seemed like you did," Renji retorted. "I mean, punching him like that…"

"I'm sorry for that ok!" she shouted. "Why does that bother everyone so much?"

"Well, people around here have a lot of respect for Hitsugaya-sama," Renji explained. "He treats us really well. He's really a good guy once you get to know him."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me," Karin thought to herself. "I wonder if it's true."

"So anyway," she continued, "what exactly do you do in this smithy?"

"We make swords," Renji clarified for her. "The Hitsugaya family has been selling top quality swords for generations. Best in the kingdom!" he gloated.

"Wow," Karin said in astonishment. "You made all those?" she asked, indicating the rack of swords. Renji laughed.

"Oh no, Hitsugaya-sama made those. He does all the important stuff personally by hand, all the shaping and details and whatnot. We just do the grunt work, like mixing metals and fixing instruments and such."

"He really does that?" Karin gasped, refusing to believe it. Up until this point, Karin's image of a man who sat around all day, drinking sake in his garden hadn't changed, even if he was the nice guy everyone was making him out to be. But the fact that he spent every day slaving away over a hot furnace to do something as exciting and difficult as sword making; now _that_ was something completely unexpected.

"Can I help?" Karin asked hopefully. She had never worked in a smithy before, but now that she was here, she thought it sounded rather fun. Renji gaped at her.

"You want to what now?" he asked, flabbergasted. "It's…not really work for a lady." Karin chortled.

"I'm not exactly what you'd call 'a lady,'" she said with a smirk. "So, can I help?" Renji seemed at a loss for words, but he finally managed to find his voice.

"Sure. I don't see why not. Come on in, I'll show you the ropes." Renji brought her inside, introduced her around and showed her where everything was.

"Here, this shouldn't be too hard for a beginner," he said, picking up a hammer and a thick spike.

"See this?" he said, indicating the spike. "See how the edge is all chopped up?" It was difficult to see anything in the poorly lit room, but Karin made an effort. She brought the spike close to her face and saw that indeed, it looked like a knife that someone had whacked against a rock a few too many times.

"It's supposed to be straight," he explained. "I need you to heat it up and whack it with the hammer until it's razor sharp again. Think you can handle that?" Karin nodded.

"I'll be right over here. If you need anything, just holler," Renji said before returning to his own work. With that, Karin began her task. It was much more difficult than it looked. The hammer was heavy, the fire was scorching hot, and the thick soot in the air made it difficult to breathe. After just half an hour Karin was soaked through with sweat and was aching all over. And she had barely made a dent in her work.

"He does this all day?" she marveled. "He must be damn strong." As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was impressed. She decided that tonight, she was going to give Hitsugaya the benefit of the doubt and join him for dinner.

**Not the most exciting chapter, but every AU story needs some world building. Plus, I felt that Karin needed some time on her own to warm up to Hitsugaya, since I can't picture her doing anything but hitting him again if she met him in the morning without a chance to learn something about him. Again, sorry if it was boring, but I also wanted to give some other characters a little screen time. I also realized that Hitsugaya doesn't make an appearance in this chapter, which I don't think I've ever done before. I promise he comes back in the next chapter when things finally will get exciting again, so please stick with me. Thanks :)**


	5. A Bird in Winter

**I'm really glad you guys liked the last chapter. Hitsugaya as a blacksmith is a strange career, but I liked the idea of him working with swords and doing something both physically challenging and creative. His job will be really important as the story goes on, so I didn't just through it in there for no reason. And, as promised, Hitsugaya's back in this chapter :)**

Hitsugaya had had a particularly bad day. His cheek really stung, but he still had several swords to deliver, so he had been forced to run around Karakura all day, where all his clients commented on the impressive welt on his face. He was inwardly grateful that Karin had turned down his offer to join him for breakfast. He really had no desire to talk to her. And his resentment only grew with each person who stared at his black and blue mark.

He returned home, drained and hungry, looking forward to a calm dinner and a restful evening. But with Karin in the house, he sincerely doubted he would receive either.

"Welcome home Hitsugaya-sama," Matsumoto greeted him when he arrived. "How was your day?"

"Long," he replied curtly. "Is dinner ready?"

"Of course!" she sang. The two of them headed towards the dining room.

"So how's my precious little princess?" he asked sourly. Matsumoto grinned.

"She's hardly a princess Hitsugaya-sama," she teased.

"Alright, so my crazed wildcat, is that a better description?" Matsumoto sighed.

"You're not being very fair to her," she said gently. Hitsugaya glared at her.

"If she's not going to make an effort than why should I?" he shot back. "Matsumoto, she punched me! She has no desire to be here and even less desire to spend time with me, so why should I even bother?"

"I think you might be surprised Hitsugaya-sama," she said with a knowing smile. "She was understandably angry yesterday because she didn't like the thought of an arranged marriage. Neither did you if I remember correctly." Hitsugaya scoffed.

"But," Matsumoto continued, "I think once she's calmed down a bit, you two might actually get along." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right," he said sarcastically. "Like that girl is capable of calming down. What did she do all day, terrorize the servants?"

"Actually," Matsumoto said slyly, "she helped out in the smithy." Hitsugaya stopped dead.

"What?" he asked, completely floored. "She did _what_?!" For some reason, he had been under the impression that she was the kind of person who had never worked a day in her life and who would be utterly horrified by the thought of even setting foot in a place as filthy as the smithy.

"That's what Renji said," Matsumoto explained with a grin. "She was there for hours apparently. She fixed a badly damaged chisel. Said she had fun." Hitsugaya was at a loss for words.

"Oh, and she also loves the garden, at least, according to Yumichka," Matsumoto added. "She said it was, how did he put it, 'like a fairy tale.'" Hitsugaya felt his heart soften unwittingly at those words. He loved that garden, and anyone who felt the same couldn't be all bad. And the fact that this high-stung girl who was willing to spend hours hammering away in a smithy could also appreciate the spectacular beauty of his garden meant that there had to be more to her than he had been giving her credit for. She had a heart in her somewhere, even if it was buried very, _very_, deep down.

"So," Matsumoto prompted. "Are you going to give her a chance?" Hitsugaya scoffed and continued walking.

"That's entirely up to her," he replied coolly, opening the door to the dining room. "I still don't think she wants to speak to me…" He trailed off as the door opened, revealing a much calmer looking Karin. She came up to him and glanced at him bravely.

"Look," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry about yesterday. We kind of got off on the wrong foot, so I was wondering if we could just start over." She held out her hand to him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kurosaki Karin," she said with a grin. "Or, I guess I'm Hitsugaya Karin now." Hitsugaya stared at her for several seconds before taking her hand and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you too," he replied, still processing the fact that she was actually being civil.

"I'll just leave you two alone then," Matsumoto said gleefully before bowing herself out.

"So…" Karin began, having no idea what to say now that introductions were over.

"Um…" Hitsugaya said awkwardly. They looked away from each other. Neither could ever remember feeling this uncomfortable.

"Would you like to sit down?" Hitsugaya offered, indicating the table.

"What?" Karin said distractedly. "Oh, yeah. Sure." They sat down across from each other, avoiding eye contact the whole time. It was the heaviest silence Hitsugaya had ever felt. He fiddled with a string on his napkin as Karin absently ran her finger around the rim of her glass.

"So I heard you helped out in the smithy," he said by way of making conversation. Karin nodded.

"It was fun, but it was really hard work. I'm surprised that you do that every day."

"Yeah well, not every day," he corrected her. "I have to go to market once a week, and I make deliveries a lot, but I do try to be in there as much as I can. It's my business you know."

"Still, it wasn't easy," Karin continued, feeling slightly more relaxed now that she was talking. "I was really tired after only half an hour, and I usually have great endurance. And my shoulder is killing me." She rubbed it for emphasis. Hitsugaya shrugged.

"I've been doing it ever since I can remember. I used to help my dad out when I was little. He taught me everything I know. It's a family trade you see."

"So I've heard."

"Yeah." They lapsed back into silence, having exhausted the topic, and Hitsugaya felt a tremendous wave of relief when the door opened and a maid came in with food. They occupied themselves with eating for the next several minutes, not saying a word.

Finally, Karin decided that it was her turn to pick a subject since Hitsugaya had chosen the last one.

"So, you play soccer?" she asked and Hitsugaya looked up from his plate.

"How do you know?" Karin blushed.

"I…saw the metals in your room," she admitted. "Sorry I was snooping."

"That's ok," Hitsugaya replied. "You're staying in there. I don't mind. And yeah, I used to play all the time when I was a kid. The team I was on was pretty good too, so we used to win a lot. But I haven't had time to play since my parents died."

"Oh." Karin looked down at her plate. They had now brought up the subject of his parents twice.

"Do you…ah…miss your parents?" she asked, then suddenly realized what a personal question that was. "Wait, sorry, you don't have to answer that…"

"Yeah, I do," he said, ignoring her last statement. "How could I not? They died in a freak fire in the smithy. It was completely unexpected. But that was almost five years ago, so it doesn't bother me now like it did before. I just kind of got used to being on my own. Besides, one good thing came out of it."

"Oh?" Karin asked curiously.

"Matsumoto came home. My parents had named her as my guardian. She was off in the army when they died, but they let her leave so that she could come take care of me."

"That explains why the army didn't do a number on her," Karin said in realization. She had never seen anyone return from the army with as much spirit as Matsumoto had. Hitsugaya nodded.

"Yeah. It still took her a while to adjust to being home, but she was only gone for three years. It's better than the seven or eight years most people have to suffer through. It left its mark though. She's much calmer than she used to be." Karin raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked incredulously. Hitsugaya smirked.

"I know, hard to believe right?" he said amused. Karin grinned ever so slightly.

"So, do you miss your mom?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Are we talking about death because it's the only thing we know about each other?" Karin chided. "It's a rather strange choice for a first conversation, don't you think?" Hitsugaya shrugged.

"Better than nothing right?" Karin had to agree with that.

"I guess. And yeah, I do miss my mom, but, like you said, she's been dead a long time. And I barely remember her; I was only four when she died. I remember she was pretty though. And that she had a beautiful…"

"Singing voice?" Hitsugaya finished her sentence for her and she gaped at him.

"How did you know I was going to say that?" she gasped, utterly shocked. Hitsugaya shrugged.

"It's all I remember about her," he replied. "She came to visit us a few times before she died. She was my mom's childhood friend, but you know that already. Anyway, every time she came, she used to sing me to sleep with the same lullaby. My mom never sang to me, so those moments really stick out in my mind. I can't remember her face though, but I do remember her voice."

"Did she sing a song about a bird in winter?" Karin asked fondly, her eyes unusually soft.

"Yeah," Hitsugaya replied thoughtfully. "I think she did." Karin smiled.

"She used to sing that song to me when I was little." Hitsugaya looked at her and was amazed at the transformation that had occurred in her. She looked so different when her features were relaxed and happy, instead of angry or on guard. She looked…radiant.

"Do you remember it?" he asked hopefully.

"Huh?"

"The lullaby. Do you remember it?"

"Why?" Karin sneered, the moment broken. "It's not like I'm going to sing it to you!" Hitsugaya suddenly felt incredibly stupid.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly. "Dumb question." Silence settled over them once again, but neither of them picked up a new topic.

"I'm going to sleep," Karin announced, unable to sit with the tension any longer.

"Alright," Hitsugaya replied. "Um," he added as Karin stood to leave. She paused and looked at him.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly.

"For what?"

"For talking to me. For turning yourself into a person rather than just a name and a fist."

"You're welcome, I guess." Karin replied, feeling incredibly strange. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." He waited until she had closed the door before allowing his head to fall to the table.

"I'm such an idiot!" he derided himself. "We had a good conversation going, and I had to ask her such a foolish question. What's she going to think of me now?" He sighed and stood to gaze out the window at the darkened garden.

"She's a complicated person," Hitsugaya thought. "She's rough and loud, but she's got a sensitive side in her, even if it's hidden." He was intrigued by her. She was unlike any girl he had ever met. And, despite himself, he felt a growing affection towards her that was entirely unexpected.

"Maybe things will work out after all," he thought optimistically. "That is, if she ever speaks to me again. After that faux pas, I don't think she'll want to."

ooooooooooooooooo

Karin escaped into the hallway and breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

"Well that was amazingly uncomfortable," she thought. "But, all things considered, it could have gone a lot worse." As she climbed the stairs to her room, she subconsciously found herself humming a tune that she hadn't thought of in quite a while.

_Oh little bird,_

_Where do you go?_

_When the snow starts to fall,_

_And the wind starts to blow?_

_Oh little bird,_

_Do you still sing your song?_

_When the days are so cold,_

_And the nights are so long?_

_Oh little bird,_

_For spring do I yearn._

_And so until then,_

_I await your return._

**Wow, this is possibly the most awkward thing I have ever written, but they can't be too comfortable with each other for their first real conversation can they? But there's a spark now, at least from Hitsugaya's perspective. Karin's still not entirely sure.**


	6. Hot and Sweaty in the Smithy

**I'm glad you guys liked the lullaby. And yes, rose-of-alabaster, I did write it, as cheesy as it was. I tried looking for an actual Japanese lullaby, but I couldn't find one I liked so I made one up. Anyway, onward!**

Karin woke up in a much better mood than she had been in the previous day. Her preconceptions about Hitsugaya had started to melt, and she was a little more willing to give him a chance today that she had been yesterday. She wouldn't exactly say she was attracted to him, but she definitely didn't hate him anymore. She figured that he at least deserved to see her act normally instead of infuriated or uncomfortable. Shooing away Nemu by insisting that she was perfectly capable of dressing herself, Karin got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Hitsugaya's eyes opened wide with shock when he saw her enter the dining room.

"Good…good morning," he stuttered. Karin smirked.

"Don't look so surprised to see me, Hitsugaya-sama," she teased. "I live here too."

"It's not that, it's just…" he trailed off.

"What?" she chided.

"Ok fine," he surrendered. "I really wasn't sure if you were going to join me. But I'm…glad that you did." That was an understatement. He been waiting for her anxiously, hoping that he hadn't screwed up too much the night before and that she would be willing to talk to him this morning. Just her being here made him a bit more content. He offered her the tiniest of smiles.

"Yeah well, you know. I was hungry," she said nonchalantly, reaching for her chopsticks and attacking a bowl of rice. Hitsugaya's face fell and he scoffed. Karin looked at the scowl on his face and chuckled.

"If we're going to live together Hitsugaya-sama, then I think the first thing you should learn about me is that I have a nasty sense of humor. I don't mean half the things I say. If you can't adjust to that, then I'm afraid we're never going to get along."

"What's with the Hitsugaya-sama?" he inquired, sipping his tea. Karin shrugged.

"It's what everybody else around here calls you," she said innocently.

"Yeah, but you're…" he began awkwardly. "Well…you know…you're my wife so…"

"So?" Karin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, I just don't think we need to be so formal with each other," he finished in a rush. Karin snickered again.

"I thought formalities were a form of affection in this house?" she noted mischievously.

"Who told you that?" he asked confused.

"Matsumoto," she replied. Hitsugaya scoffed.

"That airhead," he mumbled. "Just because I don't want Momo to call me Shiro-chan doesn't mean…"

"Shiro-chan!" Karin gasped. "Really? Oh, I like that one!" Hitsugaya scowled.

"Oh come on, you brought that on yourself!" Karin laughed, and Hitsugaya grudgingly had to agree. "But seriously, what do you want me to call you?"

"I don't know, um, Toushiro?" he offered, feeling rather strange. Only his parents had ever called him that. But it seemed appropriate.

Karin pondered that for a moment.

"I'll think about it," she replied. "But I think Hitsugaya-sama will do for now." She flashed him a wide smile and he groaned.

"It doesn't sound nearly so respectful when you say it," he glowered and Karin laughed heartily.

"Why, isn't that the point, Hitsugaya-sama?" she cooed.

"So what do you want me to call you?" he countered.

"Karin," she stated flatly. "Everyone calls me that. I don't respond to much else."

"Well that doesn't seem fair," Hitsugaya protested. "I get to call you by your first name but you can't do me the decency of calling me by mine?"

"And what exactly about this situation is _fair_ Hitsugaya-sama?" she retorted, and instantly felt guilty. They had actually been getting along. Why had she gone and spoiled it like that?

"Sorry," she apologized quickly.

"It's alright," he replied, and his eyes were filled with understanding. "I'm in the same situation you are remember? And I agree. It's not fair. We were forced into this marriage against our will and we don't know anything about each other. No one said it's going to be easy. But I'm willing to give it a shot if you are." He looked at her expectantly and Karin smiled.

"I'm willing," she replied, and Hitsugaya felt himself relax.

"So, it's Toushiro?" he said hopefully. Karin sighed.

"Alright then. Toushiro." They fell back into silence as they ate their breakfast, but it wasn't the awkward, uncomfortable silence of the previous evening. This one was much more companionable.

"I've got a lot of work to do in the smithy today," Hitsugaya announced as they were finishing up. "Since you enjoyed it so much yesterday, I was wondering if you wanted to join me."

"Like a date?" Karin teased and Hitsugaya checked. Karin chuckled and cuffed him in the arm.

"What did I say about my sense of humor?" she reminded him. Hitsugaya shook his head.

"Whatever. And no, it's not a date. I actually do have work to do. And besides, I don't think a blackened out smithy is a particularly romantic spot."

"You're assuming I'm one for romance," Karin countered.

"Aren't all girls?" Karin laughed.

"The second thing you have to learn about me Toushiro, is that I'm not like most girls. In fact, any preconceptions you have about girls you might as well turn upside down, spin around a few times, and whack with one of the hammers from your smithy. Then maybe they'll apply to me." She grinned at him.

"Come on, let's go get hot and sweaty in the smithy!" she exclaimed. Hitsugaya choked.

ooooooooooooooo

The smithy was empty when they arrived.

"Where is everyone?" Karin asked curiously, gazing at the silent room. Yesterday, the place was crawling with people. The noise of clanking iron had been almost deadening and the oppressive heat had seeped into her bones. Now the smithy was quiet, pitch black, and the temperature was almost tolerable. That, Karin noted, was due to the fact that the furnace hadn't been lit yet.

"They only work in here three days a week," Hitsugaya explained, going over to the furnace and grabbing a shovel. "I give them the rest of the time off. Just being in this room is hard on the body and they do a lot of physical labor. I don't want to overwork them." He began shoveling coal into the furnace from a large pile in the corner.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Karin replied. Hitsugaya shrugged.

"I also prefer to be in here by myself. I concentrate better when I'm alone."

"Then why did you ask me to come with you?" Karin teased.

"I thought it would give us a chance to spend some time together," Hitsugaya said offhandedly. "Besides, you said you had fun yesterday. You don't have to be here if you don't want to."

"If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be," Karin pointed out, and Hitsugaya smirked.

"Yeah, that's true." Karin watched him work for another minute before picking up a shovel herself and joining him.

"You don't have to do that," he told her. "I can light the furnace myself."

"You don't think I'm capable of manual labor?" she ridiculed.

"It's not that," Hitsugaya replied awkwardly. "It's just…"

"That I'm a lady?" she scolded. "Look, I'm here, so there's no point in me just sitting around and watching. I want to help out, and since I don't know how to do much, at least let me help with the things I can do."

"You really aren't like most girls are you?" he said amused.

"Does that bother you?" she retorted.

"No. I'm actually kind of relieved. I was afraid I was going to get stuck with someone who just wanted to laze around all day, talking about clothes. But you…you're a real person."

"I think there was a compliment in there, but I'm not entirely sure," Karin chided. Hitsugaya scoffed.

"Whatever." By this time they had finished filling the furnace and Hitsugaya gathered kindling and set the coal ablaze.

"It'll take a while for the fire to get hot enough," he said. Karin nodded. They stood there for several moments, watching the flames die down as the embers underneath began to glow with pure energy.

"So what are you doing today?" Karin asked curiously. For some reason, she found herself eager to watch him work. After observing everyone yesterday, she was excited to see this "master craftsman" in action.

"I'm finishing an order for an old client of ours," he replied. "He ordered a set of ceremonial swords."

"Ceremonial?"

"Meaning they're not actually used for fighting," Hitsugaya explained. "Ceremonial swords are much lighter weight. They're not as sharp and they have intricate carvings on the blade so that they look impressive when displayed. I've already made most of them, but there're still two more to go. It'll take me most of the morning."

"So what can I do?" Karin asked enthusiastically. Hitsugaya thought for a moment.

"Well, it's not very glamorous…"

"I don't really care," Karin interrupted. Hitsugaya smirked.

"I thought you wouldn't. Anyway, making the swords themselves is kind of only work for one person, but I could use a runner. You know, get me instruments and water when I need them, help me hold things in place, stuff like that. Think you can manage that?"

"I think I can handle that," Karin said sarcastically. They set to work. Hitsugaya melted the metal, forged the blades, and hammered in the gross structure before setting to work on the carving. The temperature in the room increased steadily and more than once, Karin got a bucket of water to dump over both of their heads.

Hitsugaya was incredibly talented. Forging the initial sword required brute strength and stamina, but the detailed carving was skillful and delicate. He explained everything he was doing to Karin, showed her how to perform each step, and even let her carve a bit of the piece. It was really hard work, but as the hours passed, they found a companionship forming that they were not expecting. They quickly became more comfortable with each other and speaking became more natural and less forced. They were putting the finishing touches on the second blade when a maid entered.

"Ano, Hitsugaya-sama's," she said meekly. "Lunch is ready."

"Go on ahead Karin," Hitsugaya said, waving at the door. "I'll just finish this and be right out."

"I can wait for you," Karin protested, but Hitsugaya shook his head.

"No. Really. I won't be long. I'll meet you in the garden." Karin was about to retort, but at another look from Hitsugaya, she conceded. The fresh air felt marvelous on her sweaty face. She breathed deeply, filling her lungs with the fresh, soot-free air.

"Here you go Karin-sama," the maid said, handing her a basket. "Hitsugaya-sama prefers to eat lunch in the garden after he works in the smithy."

"I don't blame him," Karin replied, taking the basket from her. "I'd do the same. And it's Karin." The maid bowed and left.

Karin wandered into the garden, admiring the diversity and the color. Eventually, she came to the same small pond she had thrown rocks into on her wedding night and settled herself down on the water's edge.

"It feels so different today than it did then," she marveled. She felt much happier and lighter than she had on that night, and much warmer towards Hitsugaya. She hated to admit it, but she had actually become quite fond of the man.

Karin waited, but Hitsugaya didn't come. She was growing more impatient by the minute.

"He said he'd be right out," she growled. She gazed out at the water. It looked so cool and refreshing, and she was so dirty and sticky. Without thinking twice she jumped, fully clothed, into the lake.

"Ahhh," she sighed, feeling the cold water lap over her, washing off the sweat and grime. She swam around for a bit and was so distracted that she didn't even notice Hitsugaya's approach.

"What are you doing?" he called out to her.

"What's it look like?" she responded, beaming from ear to ear. "Come and join me."

"Are you serious?" Hitsugaya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't know how to swim! Come on, the water's perfect." Hitsugaya debated his options for a minute, then jumped into the lake and swam over to her.

"See!" she said with glee, splashing him playfully. "Isn't it nice in here?"

"I can't believe I never thought to do this," he replied, dunking his head to get the ash out of his hair. "It feels great after being in the smithy." Karin grinned at him and was about to swim away, when she felt something grab her hand.

"What…?" she began, but Hitsugaya cut her off.

"Happy birthday," he said, smiling faintly. Karin gaped at him. "What, you didn't forget did you?" Actually, she had. Her life had been such an emotional roller coaster over the past several days that she had completely forgotten the reason she had to get married in such a hurry.

"I know you're probably not one for jewelry," Hitsugaya said sheepishly. "But it was the best I could do under the circumstances."

"What are you talking about?" she asked confused. Hitsugaya smirked.

"Look at your hand." Karin lifted her hand out of the water and saw, on her finger, a thin silver ring carved with a simple geometric design. Her name was engraved in the center, and the letters seemed to flow perfectly into the background pattern so that you had to study it closely to actually read it.

"You made this?!" she asked, stunned and impressed. Hitsugaya nodded.

"Just now. That's what took so long." Karin looked at him gratefully.

"You know, you didn't have to get me anything," she told him.

"I know," he replied, blushing slightly. "But I…wanted to." Karin chuckled at his embarrassment.

"You're right about me not liking jewelry by the way," she said in an attempt to lighten him up. "But I actually like this. It's neat." She smiled at him tenderly. "Thank you Toushiro," she said appreciatively.

Hitsugaya hesitated for a moment, than leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"You're welcome Karin," he whispered in her ear. Karin, shocked and confused by his sudden action, felt her stomach do a somersault. She had very mixed feelings about being kissed by him and at the moment, she wasn't in the mood to sort them out.

"Let's eat lunch," she said, swimming to the shore, deciding that changing the subject was the best way to break the mood before she did something she'd regret. "I'm hungry."

Hitsugaya wondered for a second if he had been too forward, but then decided that if he had, she would have slugged him. Taking his lack of a fresh bruise as a good sign, he shook his head to clear it and joined her on the bank.

**Yay, they finally show some affection! Why are they in the water? I haven't the faintest idea, but I just thought it was more romantic that way. Plus, it was easier for Hitsugaya to give her the ring discretely.**


	7. A Traveling Companion

The next morning at breakfast, Hitsugaya made an announcement.

"I have to go away for a few days," he told Karin over his miso. "To deliver those swords we made yesterday."

"Oh," Karin replied noncommittally. She tried to keep her face impassive but for some reason, she found herself slightly disappointed by his statement. "How long will you be gone?"

"Three days," he answered. They ate in silence for a minute or so while Hitsugaya mustered up the courage to ask her his next question.

"Um, do you, ah…want to come with me?" he asked hopefully. "I thought, you know, it's a long trip. It'll give us a chance to talk." Karin considered this.

"Alright then," she replied and Hitsugaya visibly relaxed. Normally he preferred to make these journeys alone, being antisocial by nature, but he actually liked spending time with Karin, and he was grateful for this golden opportunity to be alone with her and get to know her better.

After breakfast, they packed up the swords and supplies for their trip, saddled two horses, and headed out.

"So where're we going?" Karin asked curiously as they followed a path leading away from Karakura. She felt light and carefree. She had never had the opportunity to travel much with her family, so she was excited by the prospect of going somewhere different and seeing a bit more of the kingdom.

"A place called Seireitei," Hitsugaya replied. "It's a fairly wealthy town, but it's relatively small so most people haven't heard of it. I do a lot of business out there."

"Oh, I've heard of that place!" Karin exclaimed. "My sister-in-law's family has a summer house there. Ichi-nii says it's filled with people with way too much time and money on their hands so all they do all day is practice swordsmanship." Hitsugaya smirked.

"Yeah, that's Seireitei," he agreed. "But I like it because it gives me lots of clients." Karin nodded her understanding and paused the conversation to admire the scenery. They had left Karakura behind at this point and the air was free of the noise of the crowds, the smell of old fruit and animal dung, and the dust from countless carts rushing back and forth. She could see fields in the distance growing corn and rice, and tiny farmers dotting the landscape, providing a sharp contrast to the greenery. The sky was a brilliant cyan and seemed to stretch on for miles. She breathed deeply, allowing the pure air to fill her lungs.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Hitsugaya asked amused, noting the serene look on her face.

"You're so lucky that you get to travel," she told him. "It's such a nice break from the norm." Hitsugaya shrugged.

"It kind of feels like the norm to me," he replied nonchalantly. "I go on delivery trips at least once a month. I've been traveling for ages."

"I'm jealous," Karin replied, watching a field mouse dart across the road in front of them.

"You're welcome to join me whenever you want," Hitsugaya said, a slight flush rising in his cheeks.

"Really?!" Karin exclaimed, laughing at his embarrassment. "That sounds like fun! Thanks." They continued chatting as the farms gave way to orchards, where Karin marveled at the variety of fruit available, and then to broad prairies, where sheep and goats grazed on grass as tall as her knees. They stopped for lunch in a quaint tea shop where a kindly old woman served them the worst curry Karin had ever eaten. But she didn't care. Today was too special for her to be bothered by something trivial like that.

As night began to fall, Hitsugaya suggested that they find a place to stay.

"I don't like traveling in the dark," he explained. "It spooks the horses. There's a tavern up ahead where I usually stop when I go to Seireitei. There really aren't a lot of inns around here and it's convenient. The innkeeper's a little insane, but the place is pretty clean. At least, as far as taverns go. I'd avoid his daughter though. She's grown up in a bar, and it shows. She's crazy."

They stopped at a redbrick building with a thatched roof and lots of windows. A dilapidated sign labeled "Tavern 11" creaked above the door. Even at this early hour, they could hear the telltale sounds of drunkards in the downstairs bar.

"It's not the lap of luxury," Hitsugaya preempted, embarrassed that he was taking Karin to such an uncouth place. Karin laughed.

"I really don't care," she assured him. "This place looks like a lot more fun than some stuffy bed and breakfast. I'll take care of the horses shall I?" And before he could respond, Karin had grabbed both reigns and began leading the horses to the adjacent stable.

Hitsugaya entered the bar, and the barman looked up from the drink he was mixing.

"Well if it isn't chibi-Hitsugaya," he said in a gruff voice. "Nice shiner," he noted indicating the bruise on Hitsugaya's cheek. "You get that in a fight?"

"Shut up Zaraki," Hitsugaya scowled. Zaraki smirked.

"Well I hope you beat the crap outta the kid that gave it to you. So, you headed to Seireitei again?"

"Yeah," Hitsugaya replied, very thankful that he didn't have to explain where he actually got the mark. "Can I get two rooms for the night?" Zaraki raised an eyebrow.

"Two?" he asked inquisitively. "You brought someone along?"

"Yes," Hitsugaya said simply. He was not in the mood to tell Zaraki that he had gotten married. It would only lead to awkward questions, particularly since he and his wife weren't sharing a room.

"That's unusual," Zaraki pried. "You've never done that before. I thought you liked traveling alone?" Hitsugaya shrugged.

"Well, things change. So, two rooms?"

"Whatever you say," he shrugged, handing him the keys. "Your business is your business." The door to the tavern opened and Karin walked in.

"I gave them food and water," she told Hitsugaya, coming up to him. Zaraki eyed her quizzically.

"This is your traveling companion?" he asked confused. "That's interesting. You didn't say she was a girl." Karin checked at his term. Traveling companion? That's all she was? For some reason, that statement hurt. A lot.

"Is that a problem?" Hitsugaya replied coolly. Zaraki smirked.

"Not as long as she can handle herself. You know how rough my crowd gets. I don't take responsibility for anything that happens."

"She'll be fine. Let's go." He motioned to Karin to follow him, but before they could leave, he was attacked by something small and pink.

"Snowy-chan's back!" the thing squealed, glomming on to Hitsugaya's head.

"Hi Yachiru," he said grudgingly, reaching up and patting her as he would a cat. Yachiru beamed at him, then turned her attention to Karin.

"Oh someone new!" she cried gleefully. "You need a name too! How about…"

"Oi, Yachiru!" a man with blue hair called from the other end of the bar. "Leave the poor girl alone and come eat peanuts."

"Yay!" Yachiru sang, leaping from Hitsugaya's head and dashing over to the man.

"I see what you mean about her," Karin whispered to Hitsugaya. He scowled.

"Whatever. Come on." He led Karin out of the bar and up the stairs to the rooms, and Karin decided to confront him.

"The barman called me your 'traveling companion'," she said icily.

"Well, you are, aren't you?" Hitsugaya replied, noting her tone. Hadn't she been in a good mood before? Did he say something wrong?

"Yeah, but…did you tell him I was your wife?" Karin didn't know why this was bugging her so much. It shouldn't really. But it was. She was insulted.

"Well, I thought that would sound weird," he defended. "You know, since we're staying in separate rooms."

"We are?" Karin asked, then wondered why she was surprised by that. If he had suggested they stay in the same room, she probably would have slapped him. But they had had such a good day together and the fact that he was so casual about sleeping apart; that bothered her too. Hitsugaya checked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we don't share a room at home, so why would we here?"

"Oh I don't know," Karin said sarcastically, finally raising her voice. "I mean, you bring your wife to a seedy tavern in the middle of nowhere that's crawling with hormonal drunkards. Anyone would think you'd want to keep an eye on her for her protection." Protection?! Who was she kidding? She didn't need _protection_? Where was this coming from? Hitsugaya didn't seem to understand either.

"I just thought…" he began, but Karin wasn't finished.

"Even the barman was shocked that you brought me here," she shot at him. "He said he wasn't responsible for anything that happened to me, which means there's a good possibility that something will! But maybe that's all right with you! I'm just a _traveling companion_, nothing special. God, I feel like a cheap whore."

"You are _not_ a cheap whore!" Hitsugaya screamed, becoming angry himself.

"Well I certainly look like one!" she retorted. "You got woman a room to herself in a place like this? What kind of girls do you think do that? I bet the barman's taking orders for me right now!"

"What is wrong with you!?" Hitsugaya snapped. His patience was gone. "You told me you didn't mind places like this. Honestly, if it bothers you that much, come stay in my room." Karin laughed derisively.

"Like I'd want to stay with you," she seethed.

"Then what the hell are you complaining about?" Hitsugaya snarled.

"Just the fact that you didn't think twice about leaving me alone!" she barked. "Really, I bet you wouldn't even try to stop me if I wanted to flirt with some loser in the bar." Hitsugaya was struck profoundly by those words, but he had no idea how to properly respond to them. Did she really want to go flirt with someone else? The thought made his heart hurt.

"I have no control over who you talk to," he scoffed. "Do as you like!"

"Fine. I will!" she stated soundly, then turned on her heel and headed down to the bar.

Hitsugaya entered his room and slammed the door shut with so much force that the vase on the table beside it toppled over and cracked. He didn't even bother to pick up the pieces, choosing instead to pace the room furiously.

"What the heck happened to her?" he wondered irritably. "First she wants to stay in my room, than she doesn't, and now she's down in the bar falling all over some random guy just to piss me off! What does she want from me?" He kicked the wall in frustration, sending a sharp shooting pain up his foot, but he didn't care. And he had been attracted to her! Well there was nothing attractive about this!

"I wish I hadn't brought her," he grumbled, falling back on his bed. He wasn't remotely tired though. It took a while for his rage to subside, and as it did, he felt a new emotion course through him that was entirely unexpected; jealousy. Karin was his wife and for some reason he couldn't explain, he liked her. And he wasn't willing to give her up to some stranger so easily. He couldn't force her to come back, he knew that well enough, but that didn't mean he was willing to sit silently in his room while she did who knows what down in the bar. Decision made, Hitsugaya left his room and headed downstairs.

**Here you go Chance O'Neal, your conflict. I don't think I'm capable of writing a story without it, and things just can't go too smoothly for them, it'd just be too easy and they like to fight too much. But this fight is a little different than their usual ones and it's mostly because Karin has no idea what she wants. I hope it was realistic enough, I have my doubts, but I'm really excited about the next chapter!**


	8. Poker

**I've been looking forward to this chapter ever since I came up with the idea for this story, and I kind of like how it turned out. I hope you do to :)**

Karin stormed down the stairs, wondering what had come over her.

"I'm hurt because he didn't acknowledge me for who I am," she said to herself. "But that would mean I care about who I am. That I'm his wife, not just his traveling companion. But I don't care, do I? And that ridiculousness about the room! Did I really _want_ to stay in his room?" She shook her head in her hands.

"Maybe I _will_ go flirt with some guy in the bar," she thought mischievously. "That'll make him jealous." It struck her that that would mean that she actually _wanted_ to make him jealous, which would in turn mean that she wanted him to care about her. Deciding that thinking too hard would just drive her up the wall, Karin entered the bar and looked around.

It was dusty and dingy and there were peanut shells scattered on the floor. Several groups of men sat around small round tables, playing cards and drinking a pale amber liquid out of large tankers. Karin spotted the man with blue hair who had distracted Yachiru earlier. He was sitting with a friend who had an extremely pale face and eyes that were very similar to Hitsugaya's in color. She recognized their white uniforms instantly. They were among the select few who chose to stay in the army after their required service time was up. This gave them special privileges, like spending money and leave time once a month to go wherever they wanted.

"Perfect," Karin thought slyly. There was no one more willing to talk to a girl than an off-duty soldier. Karin was never one for flirting, but these weren't your average, run-of-the-mill townsfolk. These were bar junkies, and those she could handle.

Karin put on the most sarcastic smile she could muster and sauntered over to them.

"Mind if I join you boys?" she asked pompously, and without waiting for a response, she settled herself down at the table. The pale faced man barely reacted, but the blue haired man was much more animated. He gave her a quick once over and smirked.

"You play poker girl?" he asked, a conniving glint in his eye. Poker? Oh did she play poker. Her father had taught her how to count cards ages ago and she and Ichigo used to play for hours, each trying to outwit the other.

"Grimmjaw, you don't have to be so kind to a simple hussy," his companion said blankly. Grimmjaw glared at him.

"Eh? Who said I was being kind to her Uloquiorra?" he retorted. "I just think playing with someone who isn't you will be a nice change of pace."

"Deal me in!" Karin demanded, slamming her hand down on the table and ignoring the hussy comment. That was exactly what she was being right? Uloquiorra gazed at her a moment, then shrugged.

"As you wish," he replied lazily.

"You ready to lose some cash!?" Grimmjaw challenged, tossing cards around the table. "This is serious business. Poker isn't a kid's game you know." Karin smirked.

"Put your money where your mouth is," she dared. And so they began to play. Karin hadn't lost her touch, and had built up quite an impressive sized pile by the time Hitsugaya entered the bar.

Karin had been waiting for him, wondering how long it would take him to stew in his room before he graced her with his presence. But he didn't even acknowledge her. Instead, he settled down at the bar and grabbed a bowl of peanuts, eating nonchalantly. But Karin knew. He was staring at her like a hawk out of the corner of his eye, and she felt a vindictive pleasure at taunting him.

It became a game of wits. Karin would laugh a little too loudly, push Grimmjaw just a little too playfully, and make comments that were just a little too laced with innuendo, all the while glancing over at Hitsugaya, who made every effort to maintain his indifferent composure and be looking anywhere else when she spied on him. Neither wanted to admit it, but as the evening wore on, their anger at each other subsided to be replaced by amusement, and they actually found that they were enjoying themselves. Not at poker or peanut eating, but at toying with each other, waiting to see who would crack first.

Eventually, Grimmjaw was broke.

"Damn you," he cursed furiously as Karin swept up her winnings. "We'll see if I ever play poker with you again!" Karin offered him a seductive smile.

"What's wrong, Grimm-chan?" she pouted exaggeratedly. "Bitter that you got beaten by a girl?" Grimmjaw scowled. He looked at her, and his expression suddenly changed. He looked like a wolf on the prowl. He leaned towards her, resting his chin on his propped up arm as he stuck his face in hers.

"I'd let you beat me in other ways, if you know what I mean," he said, a gleam in his eye. "You interested? I've got a room not too far from here." Karin felt her stomach flip over. She was not expecting this. Well, she _had_ been flirting with him all evening, but actually hearing him come out and say something crude like that was really off-putting.

"Ah, not tonight I'm afraid," she sighed, stifling a pretend yawn. "I'm a bit tired."

"Come on," Grimmjaw pleaded. "I promise I can wake you up in no time."

"That's really alright," she brushed him off, standing up. "Thanks for giving me your money though."

"Look girl!" Grimmjaw snarled, jumping to his feet and grabbing her arm. "I don't like a tease. So you're going to come with me or…"

"I believe the lady asked you to leave her alone!" rang a harsh voice that, while not shouting, was firm enough to silence the entire room. All eyes turned towards Hitsugaya, who was angrier than he had been in a long time. The game was over. Whether Karin wanted him to or not, he was going to protect her. Grimmjaw raised an eyebrow.

"Are you talking to me squirt?" he asked amused, looking Hitsugaya up and down. "You're hardly a threat."

"Stay out of this Toushiro," Karin spat, ripping her arm out of Grimmjaw's grasp. "This doesn't concern you."

"The hell it doesn't!" Hitsugaya yelled, coming over to her to argue properly. "I can't just sit here and let you go off with some guy you've just met!"

"Oh and I've know you what, five days?" she retorted. "And I wasn't 'going off' with him. I've got a little more self respect than that."

"Oh?" Hitsugaya said incredulously. "Well I wouldn't have known that, seeing as you've been whoring yourself out all evening!" Karin slapped him across the face.

"What was that for?!" he cried.

"You know damn well what that was for!"

"Oi oi," Grimmjaw interrupted. "What are you two going on about…"

"Stay out of this!" Karin and Hitsugaya screamed in unison. Grimmjaw chuckled.

"Hey kid, you're not treating your girl very well. I'd do a much better job…" but he was suddenly cut off as two feet walloped him in the stomach and he toppled backwards, crashing into the table behind him and splitting it clean in half with the force, before landing on the floor with a sick crunching sound.

"Nice kick," Hitsugaya complimented, not taking his eyes off Grimmjaw.

"You too," Karin replied, still glaring at the target on the floor. The bar burst out in laughter at this macho man's pathetic predicament. He had clearly been bested by a girl and a boy half his size. Karin's serious expression faded and she started to chuckle. Even Hitsugaya allowed himself an amused smirk.

"Damn you," Grimmjaw cursed. He placed a hand on the broken table in an attempt to support himself as he stood up, but it was rocky and unstable, and it slipped out from under him as he crumpled to the floor a second time. The laughter reached epic proportions as Grimmjaw awkwardly found his way onto his feet amidst the broken glass and wooden shavings scattered underneath him.

"I told you not to get involved with her," Uloquiorra reprimanded him in a bored voice.

"Shut up!" Grimgaw growled, more embarrassed than he had ever been in his life. "Let's blow this dump." The ridicules and derisive laughter followed them all the way out the door.

"That was bloody _brilliant_!" Zaraki congratulated as he approached them. "I never would have expected such a display of brute force from the likes of you!" The members of the bar cheered their affirmation.

"Sorry about the table," Hitsugaya apologized. "I'll pay for it." Zaraki laughed.

"Are you kidding me? That was the best entertainment we've ever had in here!"

"Here here!" the other men agreed, raising their tankers in a toast.

"Let me get you two a drink," Zaraki said with a grin. "On the house. What'll you have?"

"Tea," Karin and Hitsugaya replied together, then looked at each other in surprise. Zaraki scoffed.

"Well, to each his own," he muttered, heading back to the bar.

"Why tea?" Karin asked curiously. "Free drink in a bar, you could get whatever you want." Hitsugaya shrugged.

"I don't drink. I never really saw the point. What about you?"

"Same here. I like being in control of myself." She smiled at him. "So, do you play poker?" Hitsugaya smirked.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. "I was practically raised by Matsumoto. I know every bar game there is." Zaraki brought them tea, still mumbling about how weird it was that they didn't want alcohol, and they settled down at a table to play. No apologizes were exchanged. None were needed. They were implicit. Their anger at each other had completely dissipated when they teamed up to take down Grimmjaw, and in its place, they both felt incredible admiration.

The bar started to clear out, but Hitsugaya and Karin were too engrossed in their poker game to notice. They were having too much fun, just being in each other's presence and teasing one another after the night's events.

"I'll see your two peanuts and raise you a shell," Karin declared. They had decided to play with peanuts, since playing with actual money seemed unnecessary and too serious for the mood of the evening.

"Whoa, big spender," Hitsugaya chided.

"Well, you know. I _did_ marry you for your money." She laughed heartily at the skeptical look on Hitsugaya's face.

"Oi, you two," Zaraki called from the bar. "I hate to kick you out, but it's closing time." Hitsugaya gasped. It was much later than he had thought it was and he suddenly realized that they were the only two customers left.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly, gathering up the cards.

"I didn't notice how late it was," Karin commented as they climbed the stairs.

"Yeah. We're going to be exhausted tomorrow and we still have a while to go before we reach Seireitei. But it was worth it." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and basked in the warmth and embarrassment of her smile.

"Sorry I slapped you," she said awkwardly.

"That's ok," Hitsugaya brushed her off. "I deserved it." Karin chuckled.

"Yeah, you did."

They reached their rooms and turned to face each other.

"Well, goodnight Karin," Hitsugaya said, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Goodnight Toushiro," she replied. Deciding that the evening warranted one, Hitsugaya leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He pulled back, and Karin suddenly realized how disappointed she was that that was it.

"What?" she teased. "That's all you have for your wife?" She looked at him expectantly, and Hitsugaya's heart skipped a beat. Gathering up his courage, he leaned forward again, but this time, his lips found hers. He closed his eyes against the sensation, and Karin brought her hand up to caress his cheek, careful to avoid the large bruise that was still etched prominently on his skin. The kiss didn't last very long, but as they pulled away, Hitsugaya found himself feeling warmer than he had in a long time. Karin smiled at him affectionately for a second, than backed away towards her door.

"Well, goodnight," she said quickly, rushing into her room and shutting the door before Hitsugaya had the chance to respond. He stood there for a minute, touching his cheek where her hand had been and trying to relive the moment as best he could.

"Goodnight," he said wistfully before retiring to his own room.

**Yay, their first kiss! A seedy tavern probably isn't where they expected it to happen, but nothing with these two is ever expected. And yeah, I know they don't really play poker, but I can see both of them being good at it, and hey, this is an AU story, so why not?  
**


	9. Understanding

**Sorry it's taking me longer to update than it usually does, it's just been a very stressful time in my life. This chapter is, unfortunately, kind of a bridge to better stuff, but I just couldn't leave it out entirely. There are still some cute moments though, at least, I hope there are :)**

When Hitsugaya woke up the next morning, it took him a minute to remember why he felt so relaxed and content. Slowly, memories of the previous evening washed over him, and he allowed a tiny smile to cross his lips as he remembered how it felt to have them pressed against Karin's. His face hurt again as she had slapped him on the same cheek that she had punched at the wedding, but it didn't bother him nearly as much as it had back then. He climbed out of bed and gazed at the window, where the morning sun was pouring in, its warm rays illuminating streaks of dust that floated in the air like…wait! SUN!

"Crap!" Hitsugaya cursed. He usually liked to leave this tavern just after dawn so that he could get to Seireitei at a descent hour. But they had stayed up too late the night before, and he had overslept. Getting dressed in a hurry, he bolted out of his room and pounded on Karin's door.

"Oi! Karin!" he called. "Wake up! We're running late!"

"Shut yer yapping!" came a cranky voice down the hall. "The whole tavern don't need to know yer runnin' late!"

"Sorry!" Hitsugaya apologized. He stared back at Karin's door, but it remained as still and silent as ever.

"She must be a heavy sleeper," he rationalized. "But then how am I supposed to wake her up?" He brought his hand to rest on the doorknob, and miraculously, it turned.

"What was that about her wanting protection?" he thought in amusement. "She forgot to lock the stupid door." He entered the room and sure enough, Karin was still sound asleep, her legs splayed wildly, her hair a disheveled mess, and her blanket bundled up in a heap on the floor. Hitsugaya smirked as he approached her. He sat down on the edge of her bed and gazed at her. She was beautiful. She really truly was. Hitsugaya wouldn't have thought so a week ago, but this morning, he found his wife to be the most spectacular woman he had ever seen.

"Too bad her mouth doesn't match her appearance," he thought fondly. He reached out and lovingly stroked her face, pushing her hair away from her features so that he could look at her properly. Karin stirred at the touch and opened her eyes.

"Hi," she said, surprised that he was here, but not really minding so much.

"Hi," he replied, bending down and kissing her forehead. "Your door was unlocked, so I let myself in. We're late."

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright. I overslept too." He rose off her bed. "Hurry and get ready. I'll meet you in the bar." Karin nodded and Hitsugaya let himself out.

Karin rolled over and curled up in a ball as a giddy smile spread across her face. She felt like a kid who had just received her favorite candy. She had had a blast last night. It probably wouldn't have fit most people's definitions of a romantic evening, but to Karin, it had been incredible. And, after kissing Hitsugaya once, she found that she was quite eager to do it again. She dressed quickly and headed down to the bar where Hitsugaya was paying the bill.

"I've never seen Tou-chan have so much fun!" Yachiru chimed as she handed Hitsugaya his change. "Breaking the table like that! I think Snowy-chan and Hussy-chan are going to be legend!"

"Hussy-chan?" Karin queried. Yachiru flashed her a toothy smile.

"That's what Blue-chan and Green-chan called you," she sang. "While you were playing poker with them." Karin laughed heartily.

"Great, so that's what I'll be remembered for around here. Come on Toushiro." She grabbed his hand and led him out to the stables.

"I don't like that she calls you Hussy-chan," he said darkly. Karin shrugged.

"She's just a kid, she doesn't know what it means."

"Yeah, but…" But what would have to wait, as Karin suddenly had his mouth occupied. Hitsugaya wasn't expecting the kiss, but he wrapped his arms around her waist anyway, bringing them closer together than they had ever been before.

"What was that for?" he asked slyly, running a hand through her hair.

"Do I need a reason to want to kiss you?" she inquired innocently. Hitsugaya smirked.

"I guess not," he replied before kissing her again.

ooooooooooooooooo

They reached Seireitei around noon and Karin admired the town.

"It's so different from Karakura," she marveled. "Everything looks cleaner and more expensive!"

"That's because it is," Hitsugaya scowled. "People in this town love to flaunt their money." Karin snickered.

"Oh please, have you seen your house?" she chided. "It's like twelve times the size of mine!" Hitsugaya blushed.

"I can't help that!" he protested. "That house has been in my family for generations. I don't even use half of it. I just like the garden and the smithy and…"

"Hey, I was just teasing you!" she grinned. "No need to get all defensive. Besides," she added, "you're not exactly one of those pretentious rich people. Seriously, I couldn't see Kuchiki Byakuya staying in a run-down place like the tavern we were in last night."

"How do you know Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya asked in confusion.

"My brother married his sister Rukia," Karin explained. "You know him?"

"Yeah. I've sold him a bunch of swords. He's quite a collector." Karin gasped.

"You didn't sell him senbonzakura did you?" she exclaimed. Hitsugaya thought for a moment.

"You mean the pink one?" he clarified. "The one that looks all cracked?"

"Yeah!" Karin nodded her head excitedly. "That's the most fantastic sword I have ever seen!" She remembered seeing that sword hanging over the fireplace on her first visit to the Kuchiki manor, right after Ichigo and Rukia had gotten married. She had gazed at it so hungrily that Byakuya had finally taken it down and allowed her to examine it from all angles. She had never seen anything like it and for some reason, she had been utterly and completely enamored with it, even though it was pink. It just seemed such a creative way to forge a sword.

"It was a hard one to make," Hitsugaya reminisced. "Getting that pink color wasn't easy. I had to mix all kinds of things into the metal to stain it that way. The first one I made was so brittle, it shattered as I was carving it." Karin looked at him with newfound admiration for his genius.

They continued on for a bit until they reached the heart of town.

"So, I have to go deliver those swords," Hitsugaya said. "You have two options. You can come with me, or you can stay here and explore." Karin pondered that.

"I think I'll stay here," she decided. "I want to check out the town."

"Fine with me," Hitsugaya replied. "I'll meet you back here." He smiled at her briefly then turned off down a side street.

Karin tied her horse to a hitching post and started to wander. She wasn't really a fan of shopping, but looking into store windows in Seireitei couldn't exactly qualify as shopping. There were shops selling armor made out of solid gold, and ones with dresses ten times the size of the one Karin had worn at her wedding. She wondered vaguely how anyone would breathe in it. There was a pet shop displaying exotic animals from around the world and a book store advertising the arrival of a rare, one-of-a-kind signed copy of some ancient novel Karin had never heard of. She paused briefly outside a sporting goods store and even bought something in a candy shop that had rock candy in more colors than even the flowers in Hitsugaya's garden. But nothing caught her eye like the item she saw in the window of a small toy store. Deciding that her poker winnings were burning a hole in her pocket anyway, and that she should put them to good use, Karin entered the store to make her purchase.

ooooooooooooooooo

It didn't take long for Hitsugaya to arrive at his destination. 8th street was a long promenade lined with many houses, but the Kyouraku manor stuck out like a sore thumb. Hitsugaya never understood how his client's wife Nanao allowed him to fill the lawn with lurid pink flowers, but then again, he didn't really understand anything about that couple.

He announced his presence at the gate and was brought inside immediately.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-kun!" Kyouraku exclaimed jovially as he entered. "Welcome, welcome! You're a little later than usual."

"Something came up," Hitsugaya replied noncommittally, and Kyouraku chuckled.

"Don't worry, I don't really care about punctuality. What's wrong with your cheek?" Hitsugaya groaned.

"Damn that Karin!" he thought. "Honestly, everyone and their brother has to comment on this thing! She owes me."

"An accident," he replied simply. Kyouraku shrugged it off.

"If you say so. Come on, join me for sake!"

"I'll just have tea thanks," Hitsugaya said, wondering how on earth this man could drink so early in the afternoon.

They sat down in the living room and discussed business for several minutes while Hitsugaya showed Kyouraku the swords. Kyouraku picked one up and inspected it.

"Perfect as always," he stated proudly. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Hitsugaya nodded.

"And I'm especially grateful that you were able to get me these before you left for the army," he continued. "I wouldn't have wanted to wait eight years for them."

"Actually," Hitsugaya corrected him, "I'm not going to the army." Kyouraku raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me they're letting you buy your way out nowadays." Hitsugaya scoffed.

"As if," he growled bitterly. "But King Yamamoto still only cares about bodies. No, I got married." Kyouraku's face lit up.

"What!?" he cried. "Why Hitsugaya-kun, that's marvelous! Tell me about your bride. Is she as pretty as my Nanao-chan?" Hitsugaya shrugged. He really didn't want to talk about his marriage with this man.

"So," Kyouraku continued to pry. "What was it like becoming a man?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused. Kyouraku gave him a knowing look.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about," he said slyly. "Your wedding night." He winked at him and Hitsugaya felt his stomach fill with butterflies. He blushed slightly and looked down at his hands.

"Kyouraku-san, I hardly think it's appropriate to talk about…"

"Nonsense!" Kyouraku interrupted. "We're just having a little man to man chat, nothing wrong with that. So tell me. Did you enjoy yourself?" Hitsugaya felt extraordinarily uncomfortable. Sure, he had kissed Karin, but they had never even slept in the same bed, let alone done something like what Kyouraku was implying. They weren't ready, not just yet.

Luckily, Hitsugaya was spared the embarrassment of answering by the arrival of Nanao, who promptly smacked her husband over the head.

"Honestly, what did you say to this boy?" she scolded. "He's bright red! Hitsugaya-kun, I'm so sorry this idiot was bothering you."

"Oh, Nanao-chan, why can't you be a little kinder to me?" Kyouraku whined. "You're giving Hitsugaya-kun such a bad impression of married life."

"Married life?" Nanao said curiously. "Hitsugaya-kun, did you get married?" Hitsugaya nodded.

"Well I hope you're a better husband than this one," she said tartly. Kyouraku grinned.

"My Nanao-chan has an unusual way of showing affection," he chided before receiving another rap on the head from his irate wife.

As he watched the couple continue to bicker in their own unique way, Hitsugaya suddenly found that he understood them. The subtle teasing, the glint in their eyes as they looked at each other, the violence that was somehow affectionate at the same time. He knew it all. And, he came to a conclusion. There was something he desperately wanted to say to Karin, and when he met her in town later, he was going to tell her.

**What does Hitsugaya want to say to her? What did Karin buy? Is Kyouraku really an alien? Find out next time on, "On the Wrong Foot." (Sorry, I couldn't resist. But bonus points to anyone who can answer those questions!-although Kyouraku is **_**not**_**, to my knowledge, an alien :P) Sorry this chapter isn't so great, but the next one will be much juicer. I promise.**


	10. Bed, Bath, & Beyond

**Yay, I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! As promised, this one is definitely juicer. Oh, and sorry to disappoint, but Kyouraku is **_**not**_** an alien, at least, not in this fic. But you never know…**

Karin was waiting for him when Hitsugaya rode up. She was holding a bag and wearing an enormous grin.

"Did your delivery go well?" she asked as he dismounted.

"It went fine," he replied, patting his horse's nose briefly. "Kyouraku's just as crazy as always, but it's still nice to have his business. I take it you enjoyed yourself," he said, noting her smile. Karin nodded.

"I had so much fun!" she said enthusiastically. "I can't believe this town, there're so many things to see! I went to this one place where…"

"I love you." Karin checked.

"What?" she asked, not believing her ears.

"I love you," Hitsugaya repeated. He blushed slightly, but his eyes were sincere. "I just…wanted you to know that." Karin didn't know exactly how to respond. Sure, she felt incredible affection and endearment for Hitsugaya, but love? Was she ready for that?

"Well, I don't know if you'll love me so much when you see this." She indicated her bag, deciding that humor was the best way out of responding to his confession.

"Why, did it cost a fortune?" Hitsugaya replied, feeling slightly disappointed. He wondered if saying that had been the right thing. He meant it. He absolutely meant it. But was she ready to hear it? The last thing he wanted to do was push her away by moving their relationship too quickly.

"No," Karin smirked. "I actually used my poker winnings." She held the bag out to him. "Here. It's for you." Hitsugaya was taken aback.

"What for?" he asked in surprise. Karin shrugged.

"Because I wanted to. Aren't I allowed?"

"Thanks," he said awkwardly.

"You haven't even opened it!" Karin protested. Hitsugaya gazed at the bag for a moment before reaching in and pulling out a stuffed dragon. It was pale blue with ruby red eyes. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"You bought me a plush toy?" he asked incredulously. "Why?" Karin snickered.

"I thought it would remind you of your imaginary friends," she teased, and Hitsugaya felt his face turn a rich shade of fuchsia.

"H-how…do you know…about t-that?" he stuttered. Karin broke down laughing at his utter embarrassment.

"Matsumoto told me!" she said through her laughter.

"Oh, I am going to _kill_ her when we get home!" he growled. Karin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, lighten up Toushiro, it was just a joke," she chided, still chuckling. Hitsugaya glared at her.

"Yeah, well, do _you_ have any skeletons in your closet I should know about?" he retorted.

"Skeletons!" Karin gasped. "I thought they were dragons!" Hitsugaya invented new shades of red as Karin laughed harder than she had in a long time.

oooooooooooooooo

"Welcome back!" Zaraki greeted them as they walked into the bar. "You back for another round? I think the crowd's expecting you." There were several drunken cries of "here here," from the bar.

"Just two rooms Zaraki," Hitsugaya answered. He and Karin were both exhausted. Owing to their delayed start that morning, they had arrived at the tavern much later than Hitsugaya usually did and were very much looking forward to passing out.

"Sorry," Zaraki apologized, "but I only got one room left." Hitsugaya felt his fatigue evaporate at those words.

"What?!" he cried. "But you knew I was coming back! I _always_ come back here after I've been to Seireitei!"

"Hey, don't complain," Zaraki growled. "After your theatrics last night, this place has been packed to the brim with people wanting another show. It was all I could do to save you the one room."

"You're a saint," Hitsugaya grumbled sarcastically. He turned to Karin.

"Go ahead, take the room," he offered. "I'll just sleep outside…"

"You'll do no such thing!" Karin stated soundly. "I'm not that horrible a person. We'll take the one room."

"You…you don't mind?" Hitsugaya asked awkwardly. He had no desire whatsoever to force Karin into an uncomfortable situation. Karin blushed and she looked away from him.

"I don't mind," she replied nonchalantly, but inside, her heart was racing. Were they really going to sleep in the same room? But it wasn't like she had a choice.

"Here you go," Zaraki said, handing Hitsugaya the key. "There's free tea in it for ya' if you want to hang in the bar."

"We'll think about it," Hitsugaya replied, but he wasn't really listening. He was too busy trying to calm his nerves.

Hitsugaya and Karin went upstairs and entered their room. The door clicked shut and the sound drove home the fact that they were alone together in more private a setting than they had ever been in before, faced with the prospect of sharing a room for the night. Their movements were slow and jerky as they unpacked their sleeping yukatas, not knowing exactly what to say to break the heavy silence. Neither of them could look the other in the eye. The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Karin's heart was pounding in her throat and Hitsugaya felt his palms get sweaty. It was like every noise, the creaking floor, the muffled laughter from the bar, and the night owl cooing outside the window, were screaming in Hitsugaya's ears, attempting and failing to mask the hammering of his heart and the sound of his own ragged breathing.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Hitsugaya assured her. "There's nothing to worry about…"

"No," Karin said softly, her face flushing. "It's alright. You can sleep in the bed." Hitsugaya gulped. "But no funny business!" she snapped, rounding on him. Hitsugaya scoffed.

"I'm not dumb enough to try anything," he retorted. "I know exactly how I'll end up, and frankly, one bruise is enough." Karin grinned and the pressure in the room abated somewhat.

They took turns changing in the bathroom then climbed into bed, each facing away from the other as they moved as far apart as the narrow mattress would allow. Hitsugaya's heart was beating so loudly, he was sure Karin could hear it. On his right, Karin felt the same.

"Goodnight, Karin," Hitsugaya said bravely.

"Goodnight Toushiro," came the distant reply. Breathing deeply to calm his nerves, Hitsugaya closed his eyes and eventually allowed his weariness to overcome him as he fell into a restless sleep.

ooooooooooooooooo

Karin woke up first the next morning and rolled over to gaze at the sleeping figure beside her. They hadn't so much as touched in the night, and she was grateful that her husband at least had the self control and decency to keep his hands to himself. They had even skipped their goodnight kiss, it being too intimate an action in their situation.

Hitsugaya looked so peaceful and calm. Karin watched his chest rise and fall with his steady, even breathing. His hair was as wild and unruly as ever, and the sleeve of his sleeping yukata had crept up his arm, revealing his bulging bicep. Karin grinned ever so slightly at the sight.

"Ah, the joys of being a sword smith," she thought happily. She wondered vaguely if the rest of him was that muscular, then mentally slapped herself.

"God, what's wrong with me!" she scolded herself. "What do I care what his body looks like!"

Not wanting to disturb him, she climbed out of bed as silently as she could and went to take a bath.

A few minutes later, Hitsugaya woke up. The lack of another person in his bed didn't even register as odd in his early morning stupor, since he had never in his life woken up beside someone. He groggily rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. The sight that awaited him snapped him to attention instantly.

Karin was standing there, one foot in the bath, completely naked. Hitsugaya felt heat rise in his cheeks that he knew had nothing to do with the steam in the room. He didn't know how to react. It seemed like his feet were rooted to the spot.

"What are you doing you pervert!?" Karin screamed, clutching a towel to her chest.

"I'm sorry I…" Hitsugaya stuttered.

"Get out!" she screeched, throwing a bar of soap at him. Hitsugaya ducked out of the way, dashed out of the bathroom, and slammed the door behind him, breathing like he had just run a marathon. It took him a moment to come to his senses, but when he did, he let out an aggravated groan and clutched his face in his hands.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!" he derided himself. "How on earth did I forget that Karin was sharing the room with me?! What is _wrong_ with me?! She's _never _going to forgive me now!" He felt terrible that he had invaded her privacy like that. Would she ever trust him after this? He sincerely doubted it. Why should she?

Karin was smoldering.

"How dare he just barge in here?!" she thought furiously. "What a letch!" But, inside, Karin knew that it had been an accident. Somehow, she just couldn't picture Hitsugaya walking in on her like that on purpose. If she knew anything about him, it was that he respected people. And he had told her he loved her. He just wouldn't do that to her intentionally. A voice broke into her thoughts.

"Karin," Hitsugaya said from the other side of the door. "I'm really, really sorry about that. I just forgot you were here and I went into the bathroom without thinking. Please," he begged, and Karin's heart broke. He was too strong a man to beg. "Please understand. I didn't mean to…"

"Alright, quit that!" Karin insisted. "God, you're making me sick! I forgive you ok! But on one condition."

"What's that?" Hitsugaya asked hopefully. Karin smirked. She wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door. Hitsugaya gaped at her and his cheeks turned pink.

"_Never_ use that tone of voice again," she said amused. "It doesn't suit you." Hitsugaya stood in stunned shock for a moment, before turning away, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"What?" Karin chided. "You can see me naked but you can't look at me in a towel?"

"That was an accident!" Hitsugaya barked, rounding on her. He immediately blushed again as he remembered what she was wearing; or, what she _wasn't_ wearing. Karin smirked.

"There's the man I married!" she chuckled, coming over to him and ruffling his hair.

"Maybe…maybe you should get dressed…" Hitsugaya stammered, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Karin sighed exaggeratedly.

"Oh, and I was just thinking how nice it would be if someone helped me wash my back." Hitsugaya choked.

"What?!" he gasped, not sure he had heard her correctly.

"I said," Karin replied, finally blushing herself, "that I would like you to wash my back. If…if you want to." They stood in awkward silence for a minute, before Karin got fed up with the atmosphere.

"I'm getting in the bath," she declared. "You can come if you want." And with that she marched back into the bathroom and shut the door.

Hitsugaya took a moment to process what had just happened. Did she really just ask him that? Was it a good idea to accept her offer? But it had been _her_ suggestion, not his. She wouldn't have said that unless she really wanted him to do it. Taking a deep breath, Hitsugaya knocked on the bathroom door.

"Come in," Karin called, and Hitsugaya pushed the door open. Karin was in the bath, her back facing him, her arms cradling her legs which were pulled up tightly against her chest.

"I see you decided to join me," she teased, not turning around.

"Well, I wouldn't want you walking around all day with a dirty back," Hitsugaya replied, hoping that humor would help calm his nerves. It worked; somewhat. He picked up the bar of soap from where it had landed after Karin had chucked it at him and settled down on the floor behind her. His heart drumming in his chest (it seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, and Hitsugaya wondered vaguely if it would ever beat at a normal pace again), he reached out and placed a shaky hand on Karin's shoulder. Slowly, very slowly, he began to trace across her back, spreading soap around her shoulder blades and spine. Her skin was smooth and milky white, which contrasted sharply with his tanned and calloused fingers.

"My hands aren't too rough are they?" he asked with concern. "Being a sword smith doesn't exactly lend itself to having soft skin." Karin shook her head.

"No. They're fine," she replied simply. She couldn't actually believe she was letting him do this. What had come over her? But, she thought as she closed her eyes to savor the feeling of Hitsugaya's hands on her skin, she liked it. It was much more intimate than sleeping in the same bed, or even kissing, had been. Their mutual embarrassment and the physical contact drew them closer together and Karin was almost disappointed when Hitsugaya declared that he was done.

"Ok," she said, trying not to sound as dejected as she felt that it was over. "Please leave so I can get out." Hitsugaya escaped the room, closed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned against the wall. But he couldn't fight the smile that slowly crept its way along his face.

"Thank you Karin," he thought fondly.

ooooooooooooooo

The western sun was just barely brushing the horizon as they rode up the street towards the Hitsugaya manor. The house came into view in the distance and Hitsugaya checked.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked. The house looked normal to her. Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed.

"Something's not right," he said darkly before breaking out into a gallop.

**Yeah, I had to throw some spice in here somewhere right? It was getting too lovey dovey for me.**

**Shout outs to yonne1104, cLaRiShA, and shrimpnoodlesoup who knew that Hitsu-chan was going to say, "I love you," and to Tsavorite Garnet, who knew the gift was a dragon.**

**Mega insane kudos and brownies to Miichiya Mikan and mara who guessed both! You two rock!**

**Oh, and I know that there probably wouldn't be hot water in the bathroom in this world I'm in, but we can just pretend right? :P**


	11. Karin to the Rescue

**Sorry about the cliffy, but I thought it was time for one. Please don't be turned off by this chapter, I think it really helps advance the story.**

"Toushiro!" Karin called, cantering to catch up with him. He didn't slacken his pace and Karin pitied her horse.

"Toushiro!" she repeated when she finally reached him. "What happened? How can you tell…?"

"There're too many people here for this time of night," he replied, his eyes still focused intently on his rapidly approaching home. "There's light in almost every window. They shouldn't still be here, most of the servants are usually gone at this time."

"Toushiro, I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about," Karin said reassuringly. "Maybe they decided to wait for you to come home. Maybe Matsumoto threw you a surprise party. Or maybe they just forgot to blow out the candles. There are a hundred explanations…"

"I'm telling you there's something wrong here!" Hitsugaya insisted. "What reason do they have to still be here? The last time everyone stayed late like this was the day my parents died." They had reached the door. Hitsugaya jumped from the saddle and without bothering to tether his horse, he raced into the house, Karin running at his heels. There were several servants in the entrance hall when they burst inside, and one woman actually shrieked at their sudden arrival.

"Hitsugaya-samas!" they exclaimed.

"What's going on?!" Hitsugaya demanded. "What happened?" The servants glanced at each other nervously, clearly unwilling to be the one to deliver the bad news.

"Well," one began bravely, but he was saved by the arrival of Matsumoto.

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said in relief. He knew she would tell him everything, without sugar coating it or leaving out details for his protection. She knew he wanted the truth, no matter how awful it was. "What in the world…?"

"It's Momo-san," she told him without waiting for him to finish his sentence. "She's…been attacked." Hitsugaya felt his blood run cold. Karin gasped and her hand went to her mouth. It had become incredibly obvious to her over the last few days how much Hitsugaya valued his cousin. Her heart broke for his pain.

"By whom?" Hitsugaya managed to ask. Matsumoto sighed.

"Aizen," she replied seriously and Hitsugaya checked. Her own husband?! What was going on?

"Apparently they had been having issues," she continued, her face lined with concern. "Aizen got angry about something and…decided to beat her. I still don't know exactly what the fight was about though. No one took the time to ask questions. Their butler Kira brought her over to get her out of the house. The servants are doing what they can upstairs, but you know how long it takes for a doctor to get here." Hitsugaya was at a loss. He was feeling such a tumult of emotions that they threatened to consume him. He felt utter and complete rage at Aizen, grief at Momo's injuries, and panic that a doctor might not arrive in time. He wanted to kill Aizen, comfort Momo, and jump on his horse to fetch the doctor himself all at the same time. But he knew which one of those was the most rational course of action at this point.

"I'll be right back," he announced. "I have the swiftest horse I own already saddled up outside. I'm going to get the doctor…"

"Don't bother," Karin said. The eyes of everyone in the room turned towards her. Hitsugaya felt ready to explode.

"What, so I should just abandon all hope!?" he screamed. "If you think I'm going to just sit here and hold her hand while she bleeds to death…"

"I'll take care of her," Karin said seriously. Hitsugaya scoffed.

"What can you do that the servants aren't already doing!?" he spat. "I'm going to get a doctor..."

"I _am_ a doctor!" Karin stated soundly. "At least, I was trained as one. My father owns a clinic. I've been treating people since I was four years old!" Hitsugaya gaped at her. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I'll do what I can at least until a real doctor arrives, alright," Karin assured him. "There's no point in you running out into the night when chances are whoever already went to get the doctor will arrive back before you do." She turned to Matsumoto. "Where is she?"

"This way," Matsumoto said, gesturing to Karin to follow her. Hitsugaya was still digesting all this information, but concern for his cousin overwhelmed everything else and he joined the two women.

"She's in here," Matsumoto told them, indicating a door. "But she's not such a pleasant sight…"

"Out of the way," Karin said rudely, pushing the door open. Matsumoto was right. Momo was unconscious and covered in blood and bruises. The sheets on the bed she was lying on were soaked through with the crimson liquid as four servants attempted futilely to stem the flow. Hitsugaya felt faint, not so much at the blood, but at the pain she must be going through. Hatred for Aizen coursed through his body like hot lead, and he squeezed his fists together to keep from crying out.

Karin instantly took charge. She marched up to the bed and the servants scattered, allowing her free range. Karin examined Momo briefly. She was bleeding profusely from a large wound in her stomach. That was where the majority of the blood was coming from. The rest of her injuries were milder; she had bruises on her face and arms and a nasty gash across her forehead, but those could wait. Her stomach couldn't.

"Does anybody know if there is any ironweed in the garden? Or elder flowers?" Karin asked the room. Blank stares.

"I'll find Yumichka," one of the maids announced before scurrying out of the room.

"What're ironweed and elder flowers?" Matsumoto inquired.

"Ironweed's a short plant with thick red leaves," Karin explained. "It's rather rare, but I think if we can find it anywhere, it will be that garden. It forces blood to congeal if used properly. We've got to stop the bleeding from her stomach as quickly as we can, and nothing will work better than that. Elder flowers are small yellow buds that have soothing properties. They're not vital, but they should reduce the pain." While they waited for the plants, Karin applied pressure to the wound and sent orders for various other items she thought she might need.

Hitsugaya approached the bed and gazed at his cousin.

"How could this have happened to her?" he asked painfully. "She always told me how good Aizen was to her and how much she loved him. I…I always thought she was happy." He seemed on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry," Karin reassured him. "She's going to be ok." She smiled at him hopefully, but the smile wasn't returned. All she got from him were deadpan eyes as he reached out to clasp Momo's hand.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Karin said encouragingly. "You can't blame yourself." Hitsugaya looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off as Yumichka finally burst into the room, waving a red plant and some yellow flowers in the air.

"Here you go Karin!" he declared proudly, handing her the fresh ironweed and a fistful of elder flowers. "The elder flowers just bloomed yesterday! And this is the highest quality ironweed in the kingdom, only treated with the best…"

"Thanks Yumichka," Karin cut him off, snatching the plants out of his grasp. She broke off several broad ironweed leaves and folded them repeatedly. With every fold, drops of dark red juice flowed out of the newly formed crease, and Karin allowed it to drip directly into the wound.

"You can't use too much," she explained to Hitsugaya, who looked anxious. "Or all her blood will harden. You have to apply it in very small amounts. That's why the process takes so long." Hitsugaya nodded.

"I trust you," he said, not taking his eyes off of Momo's face. Karin smiled at him.

The blood from Momo's wound slowed from a steady stream to a mere trickle, and eventually stopped all together.

"She's going to be alright!" Karin declared to the antsy room. An enormous sigh of relief spread through those present. Hitsugaya looked up at Karin gratefully.

"I don't know how to thank you…"

"You don't have to," Karin replied with a smile. "What did you think I was going to do, let her die?" Hitsugaya looked down at his hand, which was still tightly entwined with Momo's. Karin could tell that he was suppressing his emotions. He probably wanted to scream and cry at the same time, but he was too proud and too strong and there were too many people in the room. She felt tremendous pity for him and decided that she would convince him to spill his thoughts to her later. It wasn't healthy for him to keep everything to himself. Hopefully, he would open up to her at least.

Returning to her work, Karin mashed the elder flowers into a pulp and mixed them with water and talc until she had created a nice paste, which she proceeded to rub over Momo's cuts and bruises. She washed the blood off as best she could and wrapped her stomach and forehead with clean bandages.

The door opened and Nemu walked in.

"The doctor has arrived," she announced blandly, completely unperturbed by the sight of so much blood. Spilling blood during army training was too common an occurrence for it to faze her too much. She stepped to the side and a woman with extremely long hair and a kind face walked in.

"I am Unohana Retsu," she introduced herself sweetly. "I've come to see the patient." Karin stepped back and allowed Unohana to examine Momo.

"I did what I could," Karin explained, "but I'm not really a doctor. I just know a little…"

"Where did you learn to use ironweed?" Unohana asked in amazement.

"From my father," Karin replied. "He taught me about all kinds of herbs and stuff. But again I don't know much…"

"This is fabulous work," Unohana admired. "I'm surprised that you would know of the properties of such a rare plant. Most doctors don't bother with it anymore, although it is highly effective. It's just too difficult to procure. I'm very impressed with you young lady." She smiled warmly at her. "This girl will be just fine. You have given her expert care. There is nothing left for me to do." Karin felt herself relax for the first time since entering the room. Even though she had told everyone that Momo's life wasn't in danger, hearing an actual doctor say it made her feel much more confident.

"Hear that Toushiro!" she chimed. "There's nothing to worry about!" She looked over to where Hitsugaya had been standing and realized for the first time that he wasn't there.

"Where'd Toushiro go?" she asked Matsumoto, who also looked confused.

"I have no idea," she said genuinely. "When did he slip out?" Karin racked her brain. Hitsugaya had thanked her after she stopped the blood flow and said that Momo would be alright, but then she had focused on the elder flowers and hadn't paid much attention to him. Did he leave then?

"I'm going to find him!" Karin announced.

"Wait Karin-sama," Matsumoto stopped her. "Don't you think he may want to be alone right now?" Karin scoffed.

"Yeah right! The _last_ thing someone needs after seeing a relative lying on a near-death bed is to be alone! I don't care how introverted he is. It's always better to talk to someone about your frustrations than keep them all bottled up inside. I want to be with him!" And with that she marched out of the room in search of her husband.

"They really have developed a liking for each other haven't they?" Matsumoto thought happily. "Maybe this marriage was good for Hitsugaya-sama after all."

**Yeah, I know this was kind of a dark chapter in this fic that's been pretty light so far, but I really wanted Karin to help Hitsugaya through some intense emotional trauma, and I thought this worked. Plus, it lets her show off some skills, since so far it's been Hitsugaya who's been doing that. Besides, it ties in well enough with Bleach reality, and I usually like it when AUs do that. And come on, you know you all saw this coming when I married Hinamori off to Aizen in the first place :P But things will get better for her eventually, I promise.**


	12. The Obligatory Roof Scene

**Sorry for the late post, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. I think it's my favorite one so far.**

"Where did he go?" Karin wondered as she jogged down the hall of the massive mansion. "Think Karin, think!" She was sure that Hitsugaya had some special place where he went when he wanted to be alone. He was just that kind of person. She knew instinctively that it wouldn't be somewhere to obvious like his room; people could find him too easily in there. Her first thought had been the garden, but she immediately rejected that idea. The garden was for happy times, for rest and relaxation. It was not somewhere he went when he needed to spill his soul in secret.

Karin wracked her brain. What did she really know about this house? What did she really know about Hitsugaya for that matter?

"Not a whole heck of a lot," she thought with smirk. "Ironic isn't it?" She realized that she should probably have asked Matsumoto her opinion and was about to head back there when she had an idea.

"I always go to the roof when I want to sulk," she realized. "Maybe he does the same." She knew it was farfetched, but it was worth a try. Heading up to the top floor, Karin searched and finally found a door in a secluded corner that, when opened, reveled a narrow staircase.

"This must be it," she thought. She climbed the stairs, opened the door at the top, and found that she was indeed on the roof. The view was magnificent. From this height she could see the entirety of the grounds; the scattered trees, the silent smithy, and the garden which radiated color even in the darkness of the night. Diamond stars studded the inky black heavens. A chill wind swept over her, attacking her hair and clothing and Karin hugged herself for warmth. This was why she loved the roof. She felt like she was a part of nature up here. It was so far removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life and it was so easy to get lost in the vast sky and the sound of the crickets and cicadas.

Karin glanced in the direction of the garden and, to her surprise, there he was. The wind was playing with his hair, which glowed silver in the moonlight. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his eyes were staring unseeingly into the distance. Karin approached him cautiously. If he was crying, she didn't want to embarrass him.

"Toushiro?" she said softly. "Are you alright?" His head jerked up ever so slightly at her voice and he turned to look at her.

"How did you find me?" he asked in wonderment. "Even Matsumoto doesn't know I come up here." It didn't look like he had been crying, nor was he angry that she had found his secret hiding spot, so Karin came over to him and sat beside him.

"I come to the roof when I want to be alone," she explained. "I thought it was as good a place to look for you as any." Hitsugaya nodded, then returned to gazing off aimlessly into space. Karin desperately cast around for something to say. She wasn't so good at this emotional stuff. Luckily, Hitsugaya spoke first.

"Why did you want to find me?" he asked, his face still blank.

"What kind of question is that?" Karin cried. "You just had a hugely traumatic experience! How could I _not_ look for you?" Hitsugaya sighed and looked down at his knees.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," he admitted to his knees. Karin scoffed.

"I'm your _wife_!" she insisted. "I care about you. So don't give me any of that, 'men always have to be tough' crap because frankly, that just makes you seem heartless. _No one_ can be strong all the time."

"You are," Hitsugaya retorted, and Karin chuckled.

"I'm an exception," she joked, and while Hitsugaya didn't smile, his face at least softened a bit.

"It's ok to cry," Karin told him. "If…if you need to."

"I don't cry!" Hitsugaya stated soundly.

"Everybody cries Toushiro."

"Even you?" Karin paused for a moment and gazed up at the sky. Hitsugaya didn't actually expect her to answer, so he was surprised when she spoke.

"Even me," she whispered, smiling at him. Hitsugaya pulled his knees closer to his chest and Karin, after hesitating for only a brief moment, draped her arm around his shoulder. Hitsugaya leaned against her, basking in the warmth of her body. He hadn't done this since his parents had died. He was too proud and strong, even with Matsumoto, to do anything as childish as cuddling with someone for comfort. But, for some reason, he felt safe enough with Karin to let his guard down in front of her. And to tell her how he really felt.

"It's my fault," he said, closing his eyes against the burn. No matter what Karin said, he _would not_ cry!

"Stop feeling guilty!" she demanded. "What could you have done? You said it yourself, you thought she was happy!" Hitsugaya took a deep breath. He had never told his side of this story to anyone.

"I could have stopped her," he began. "Stopped her from marrying him in the first place. Aizen had been a client of my family for many years, but I didn't know him growing up. He was in the army. Not too long after he returned, he came to visit my father to place an order. Apparently, he had become quite an expert with a sword during his combat training and wanted something functional rather than ceremonial to add to his collection. At that time, I was old enough that my father had me join him in his meetings with clients so that I could learn about the business side of the trade. I met Aizen and despised him immediately. He seemed so fake to me. Like he was hiding something. And the way he described sword fighting; it was creepy. Sword fighting is an art. It's beautiful, if deadly, and is something that should be granted the utmost respect. All Aizen could talk about was how to maim someone with the least amount of spilled blood and how to kill someone in a single stroke, before they even realized you were there. To be honest, he scared me. I should have expected it from a recently returned soldier, but it was still petrifying to hear. He gave me the chills.

"The conversation turned to what it was like now that Aizen was out of the army, and he mentioned that now that he was back, he wanted to get married and live a stable life, but he didn't know where to begin looking for a potential wife. Momo was seventeen at the time, and her father had been searching desperately for a match for her but hadn't been able to find one. My father suggested her and the marriage was arranged the next day.

"For Momo, it was love at first sight. Aizen was handsome and charming, and Momo fell head over heels immediately. They got married a month later. I wanted to say something. I tried to say something. I felt so many insecurities about that marriage, but I was only eleven and everyone wanted it…What was I supposed to do?" Despite his best efforts, Hitsugaya felt a single tear slide silently down his cheek.

"There was nothing you could have done," Karin said encouragingly. "Like you said, you were still a child. You can't blame yourself."

"But…"

"But nothing! How do you know this is even related? They've been happily married for six years. There was no way you could have predicted this. You can't beat yourself up over it! _It's not your fault_!" Hitsugaya was at a loss for words. He processed what Karin had said.

"Maybe you're right," he said at last.

"Of course I'm right!" Karin asserted as she smiled at him. "Momo will be fine, even the doctor said so. We'll all get through this somehow." Hitsugaya nodded. They sat together for a while, watching the moon and listening to the sounds of the night. It was peaceful up there, even in the crisp air, and Hitsugaya appreciated the fact that he had finally found a companion to share these moments with.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Hitsugaya heard music. He thought he was imagining it at first, but it quickly became apparent to him what was happening; Karin was singing. She herself didn't know why she was doing it, but for some reason, the moment seemed to call for it. Her voice was faint at first, almost inaudible, but the tune became a little louder as she gained confidence. It was a soothing, gentle lullaby that Hitsugaya hadn't heard in many, many years.

_Oh little bird,_

_Where do you go?_

_When the snow starts to fall,_

_And the wind starts to blow?_

_Oh little bird,_

_Do you still sing your song?_

_When the days are so cold,_

_And the nights are so long?_

_Oh little bird,_

_For spring do I yearn._

_And so until then,_

_I await your return._

She finished and flushed slightly as she realized what she had just done.

"You have a terrible voice," Hitsugaya noted, trying to cover for her embarrassment. Karin pushed him lightly. But she was smiling. If he was teasing her, it meant he felt better.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

"Don't mention it," she replied. Hitsugaya took his arm from across his knees and placed it around Karin's waist. His movement seemed to bring Karin back to her senses.

"We should go," she said, extracting herself from him and standing up. "We don't want to fall asleep on the roof."

"I guess you're right," Hitsugaya replied, wishing that they could have sat there longer. Karin held out her hand to help him up, and Hitsugaya took it. He didn't relinquish it, and they held hands all the way down the stairs and to their rooms. They paused outside their doors and turned towards each other.

"Thank you Karin," Hitsugaya said, placing a hand on her cheek.

"You don't have to thank me again," she scolded lightly. "You already did it once." Hitsugaya smiled ever so slightly and ran his fingers slowly through her hair. Karin blushed at the tender gesture, but she didn't look away from him. Together, they closed the gap between them. Hitsugaya wrapped his arms tightly around her as they shared the most passionate kiss they had yet. He gripped the back of her shirt, pressing her to him, as Karin held his face in her hands, kissing him fervently all the while. Eventually, the heat dimmed and they pulled apart slightly, their foreheads still pressed together.

"How did live before you got here?" Hitsugaya asked, gazing into her eyes.

"I think you managed," Karin smirked. "But your life was probably much calmer." Hitsugaya smiled.

"Yeah, most definitely."

"I'll see you in the morning ok?" Karin said, disentangling herself from his arms and opening the door to her bedroom. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Hitsugaya replied, trying not to let his disappointment show in his face or his voice. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and never let go. Ever.

Karin entered her room and it took her all of thirty seconds to realize that she didn't want to be there. Changing into a sleeping yukata as quickly as she could, she bolted out of the room and knocked on Hitsugaya's door.

He opened it and his eyes widened with shock.

"Karin, what…?"

"A husband and wife should sleep together in the same room, don't you think?" she said as casually as she could while trying desperately to force down her flush. "But sleep is the operative word here. Nothing else alright!" Hitsugaya nodded, still too stunned that she was actually here as he stepped aside and allowed her to enter.

"I still need to change," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"What, so you can see me naked but I can't see you naked?" she teased. Hitsugaya balked.

"It's ok Toushiro, I won't look," she assured him with a chuckle. "You take me too seriously sometimes."

Karin turned away from him to give him his privacy and devoted herself instead to examining the room. She had never been in it before. Like the rest of the house, it was sparsely decorated, with only some swords and a carving of the Hitsugaya family crest (a dragon spiraling around a sword) hanging on the walls. There was a comfortable looking reading chair in the corner and a large bed jutting out into the room flanked by two picture windows that, like the ones in the dragon room, overlooked the garden. Karin liked the room immediately.

"I'm done," Hitsugaya announced and Karin turned around.

"I like your room," she told him.

"Thanks," Hitsugaya replied. "I'm glad. It's your room too now after all." Karin blushed slightly at that.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she said, realizing for the first time the implications of her decision to come into this room. Not that she regretted it. "Come on, we should get some sleep."

They climbed into bed and Hitsugaya found that, although he was nervous, it was of a different quality than it had been the night before. Last night they had been forced into bed together against their will. Tonight, they were together because they wanted to be. Hitsugaya looked over at Karin who was lying on her side with her back to him. Feeling daring, he reached out his hand and brought it down to rest on her shoulder. She stiffened slightly at the touch, but she didn't protest. Hitsugaya took this as a good sign and slid his hand slowly and gently down her arm, around her elbow, and up towards her hand, where he intertwined their fingers together. He sidled closer to her and Karin leaned backwards a bit so that her back was pressed up against his chest. They lay like that for a while, cradled in each other's arms, feeling surprisingly comfortable and content. Karin's breathing slowed and Hitsugaya was convinced that she had fallen asleep.

"I love you Karin," he whispered, deciding that it was safe to say that if she was asleep. He closed his eyes and started to drift off himself when he heard a quiet voice call out into the darkness,

"I love you too Toushiro." Smiling widely, Hitsugaya closed his eyes and fell into the most relaxed sleep he had had in a long time.

**Just like a HitsuKarin isn't complete unless someone gets punched, I'm starting to feel that they aren't complete without a roof scene either. I think I've written more roof scenes than any other type of scene (with the possible exception of first kisses) and they sure seem to pop up in the weirdest places. Anyway, I hope this chapter was fluffy enough to make up for the last one.**


	13. The Truth Comes Out

**Sorry I'm being so slow with posting. It was an utterly chaotic weekend. Things will hopefully be better this week.**

When Karin woke up the next morning, it took her a moment to get her bearings.

"Oh yeah, I slept in Toushiro's room," she remembered, feeling her cheeks start to flush. She could feel his warm body still cuddled up against her back and his arm was still draped over her, his hand pressed just a little too closely to her chest. But as she was the one doing the pressing, she could hardly be angry.

Running over all the details of the night before in her mind, Karin couldn't help but blush a little, but a smile crept over her face nonetheless.

"I really told Toushiro I loved him, didn't I?" she asked herself. "And I willingly slept in his bed! I do weird things when I'm tired, don't I?" But, inside, Karin knew that her words to him were true. Somehow, over the last few days they had spent together, she had fallen in love with him. She pulled his arm closer to her at that thought.

"I should probably see how Momo's doing," she realized. She was reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of her husband's embrace, but she thought it was her responsibility. She tried to move out of his arms carefully so as not to wake him, but apparently, he was either already awake or a lighter sleeper than she thought.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, tightening his hold on her. Trying desperately not to smile as broadly as she knew she was, Karin flipped over to face him.

"I was going to check on Momo," she replied. "Make sure she's alright."

"If something was wrong, someone would have come to get you," Hitsugaya assured her. "I made sure of that before I left. There were servants watching her all night."

"But they wouldn't have known where I was," Karin protested. "No one knows I'm in here do they?"

"I'm sure they would have found you," Hitsugaya said, his face turning red at the thought of someone walking in on them in bed together.

"Aw, what are you so embarrassed about?" Karin teased, noticing the color of his cheeks. She reached up and stroked his messy white hair. "You're going to have to get used to me being in here you know." Hitsugaya smirked.

"I think I'll be ok," he chided. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle morning kiss. At least, that was his intention. But as he broke away, they both found that neither wanted the kiss to end, so they did it again and again, each kiss becoming longer and deeper than the last. The passion of the night before was back, but the nervousness of sleeping in the same bed had abated. This was a new day, with new hope and new promises. Pressed together as they were, it didn't require a lot of pressure for Hitsugaya to roll her until she was on her back with him lying on top. They gazed into each other's eyes, but no words were exchanged. Only an affectionate smile that spoke volumes; one that was much more meaningful and expressed a thousand more emotions than any words possibly could have. Hitsugaya began to nibble lightly on her neck, when he heard the last sound he ever wanted to hear in this situation; a knock on the door.

"Hitsugaya-sama," came Matsumoto's voice. Hitsugaya tried very hard not to groan, and Karin suppressed a snicker at the look on his face.

"What?" he yelled in frustration.

"Momo-san, is awake," Matsumoto replied. "She's asking for you." Hitsugaya and Karin looked at each other.

"Go to her," Karin told him, reluctant as she was to let him leave at this particular moment. ""We can…um…finish later." They both blushed furiously at the implications of that statement, but Hitsugaya, unfortunately, had to agree with her. Regrettably, he climbed off her and got out of bed.

"I've got to go back to my room to change," Karin said as she too stood up. "All my stuff is still in there."

"But Matsumoto's in the hallway," Hitsugaya pointed out. Karin shrugged.

"So? It's not like this is going to stay a secret for long. Besides," she added, taking both his hands, "there's nothing wrong with it." Hitsugaya smirked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "Now go before we lose track of time."

"Wow, you're kicking me out so quickly!" Karin gasped. "Was I that bad in bed?" Hitsugaya turned beet red. Karin laughed and kissed him again.

"I'll meet you in Momo's room," she said. She smiled at him, then slipped out the door.

"Oh good, Hitsugaya-sama you're…Karin-sama!" Matsumoto gasped. It took all of Karin's willpower not to burst out laughing at the startled look on Matsumoto's face.

"I'm just going to go change," Karin said lightly, opening the door to the dragon room. "But I'll be down to check on Momo in a bit." She shut the door behind her, leaving Matsumoto to process exactly what she had just seen. It took her a minute, but soon she was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Humming happily to herself, she wandered away, deciding that she could tease Hitsugaya all she wanted to later, but that for now, she would do the polite thing and let him have his morning.

oooooooooooooooo

Karin could hear the crying before she even turned the corner towards Momo's room. Wondering what was going on, she sprinted the last few steps and found a man with blond hair curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing.

"Oi oi, what's wrong?" Karin asked with concern, leaning down and placing a hand on the man's shoulder. He raised his head and his tear-filled eyes met Karin's anxious ones.

"Who are you?" he asked. Clearly not one of their servants, Karin thought. They all knew who she was from the wedding.

"Um, I think I should be asking you that," Karin replied, not unkindly. "Are you a friend of Momo's?"

"My name is Kira Izuru," he answered. "I'm the butler in the Aizen household."

"Oh, you're the one who brought Momo here!" Karin exclaimed, remembering what Matsumoto had told them the night before. "We're very grateful to you. My name's Karin. I'm Toushiro's wife." It took Kira a minute to realize who "Toushiro" was, but when he did, he bowed his head humbly.

"Oh no, Karin-sama, it is I who am grateful to you. You saved Momo-sama's life." Karin laughed.

"Oh, please just call me Karin. Really. And if you hadn't brought her here, I couldn't have done anything. And don't worry!" she added cheerily. "Momo will be just fine. She's already awake and everything." Kira nodded.

"I know. I stayed with her all night. Hitsugaya-sama is with her now."

"You didn't have to do that you know," Karin told him. "There are lots of people who would have been more than happy to split the time with you so you could get some sleep. Look at you, you're all pale." Kira seemed stunned that she would even suggest such a thing as color rose into his practically white cheeks.

"I…wanted to stay with her Karin-sama," he said sheepishly. Karin considered him. It seemed that her womanly intuition had grown by leaps and bounds over the past few days. Falling in love apparently did wonders to one's ability to sense other people's emotions. This man loved Momo. It was so painfully obvious. Karin grinned at her discovery.

"I tried to stop him!" Kira said desperately, as if continuing an internal conversation aloud. "I heard the commotion and came running, but by the time I reached them, Momo was already…" he trailed off, not able to put into words the state she had been in. "I…I tried to appeal to Aizen-sama. I begged him to stop. I even tried grabbing his arm, but he just kept hitting her…" He sighed. "Eventually he got fed up and stormed out of the room. Momo-sama was barely conscious. I didn't know what to do. I just knew I should get her out of the house as quickly as possible and this was the first place I could think of…"

"It's alright," Karin said soothingly. "It's not your fault." It seemed like she was saying that a lot lately. "You did everything you could. Heck, I think you saved her life. So stop crying. It's not manly." Ok, so she had said the exact opposite to Hitsugaya the night before, but she felt that the last thing this man needed were more tears.

"Thank you Karin-sama," Kira mumbled.

"It's Karin!" she insisted. "Just because I married a rich man doesn't make me better than you! I'm going to see Momo now. You'll be ok, right?" Kira nodded.

"Thank you Karin-sa…ah, Karin!" he stammered at a stern look from Karin. She smiled.

"There you go!" She could tell that he was feeling a little better. He had at least stopped crying. Karin went over to Momo's door and knocked.

"Come in!" came a friendly voice and Karin opened the door.

Momo had improved drastically from the night before. Some color had returned to her face and, while she wasn't sitting up, she was at least propped against some pillows. Hitsugaya was standing beside her, holding her hand in a comforting manner. Karin approached them.

"How are you feeling today Momo?" she asked brightly. Momo smiled.

"Much better, thanks to you! My stomach still hurts though."

"That's to be expected," Karin affirmed. "Your wound was deep. I can treat it again though. That should help a little. You shouldn't move around for a while until it heals, but you'll be fine." Momo beamed at her.

"You found yourself an amazing woman Shiro-chan," she said happily. Hitsugaya blushed slightly, but he nodded.

"Yeah, I did. And don't call me Shiro-chan!" Momo giggled.

Karin changed Momo's bandages and applied more elder flowers. A maid came in with breakfast and they ate together, chatting amicably the whole time. Karin could see why Hitsugaya cared about his cousin so much. She was bright and strong. Well, at least Karin thought she was. Until…

"Hitsugaya-kun," Momo said softly, staring down at her half-eaten food. "Do you think…do you think he'll ever take me back?" Hitsugaya scowled.

"Does it matter?" he asked icily. "You're never _going_ back to him! It shouldn't even be an option!"

"But he's my husband!" Momo protested. "I love him!"

"How can you love a man who would do this to you?!" Hitsugaya shot, his face lined with rage. "A scumbag like him doesn't deserve you!"

"But it wasn't his fault! Really!" Momo begged.

"It's _always_ the man's fault when he beats his wife," Hitsugaya replied darkly. "There is no excuse for that."

"But…but I made him mad. I knew I was going to make him mad but I still…"

"MOMO!" Hitsugaya screamed. "There is _nothing_ you could have said or done that would warrant this!"

"What happened Momo?" Karin asked. She felt like the girl really wanted to explain. Hitsugaya crossed his arms and waited.

"Well," Momo began, looking down at her hands. "It wasn't like this was a new fight. I knew it would make him upset, but I did it anyway."

"What was it about?" Karin prompted.

"I wanted to have children," Momo admitted. "Ever since we got married, I've been begging and pleading to have children, but Souske-sama refused. He didn't want any. One night a few months ago, when I knew it was my time, I got him drunk and…wound up pregnant." She blushed at her confession.

"I was afraid to tell him," she continued. "I was afraid of what he might say. But it got to the point where I couldn't hide it anymore, so I told him the truth and…" She couldn't finish. By this time, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Now Karin understood. This wasn't just some marital spat gone horribly awry. Aizen had beaten the child out of her. That explained the wound in the stomach. Karin felt nauseous. Hitsugaya seemed to be in a similar state.

"Karin," Momo gasped. "There's no way that maybe…?"

"No," Karin said compassionately. "I'm really really sorry Momo." It wasn't possible for a fetus to survive that stomach wound. Momo's sobs redoubled and she turned towards Hitsugaya and buried her face in his shoulder. Hitsugaya stroked her back soothingly, but his face was stony, as if it had been too much information to take in all at once. He wanted to express his outrage, but he couldn't in front of Momo.

Karin didn't know what to say. How could you comfort someone in Momo's position?

Eventually, Momo's weeping lessened, and she fell silent.

"She's asleep," Hitsugaya croaked, realizing that she had stopped moving as well. He laid her back on her bed and gazed at her. Karin slipped her hand into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"He's a dead man," Hitsugaya growled, and Karin checked at the raw hatred in his voice.

"And just what do you plan to do?" Karin retorted. "He was in the army, you can't touch him." One of the only benefits of joining the army was the fact that they protected their veterans for life. The courts were run by the army itself. There was no justice in them. Right and wrong held very little weight when faced with a dispute between a veteran and an ordinary citizen. The veteran won. Always. And the citizen often suffered horribly for even considering taking issue with something a veteran had done.

"Who said I was going to the authorities?" Hitsugaya barked. "I'm going to kill him with my bare hands."

"Oh please, and that will make Momo feel better how?" Karin spat. "If you lose, you'll end up dead, and even if you win, you'll wind up rotting in a prison cell for the rest of your life for challenging a veteran, and frankly, that's worse than death! I know you know that. You're not a fool."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to just sit here while that lunatic bastard gets away with this?" he seethed. "Karin, what he did is unforgivable!"

"I know," Karin said with understanding. "But please, try to see reason. Momo doesn't want you to avenge her. The last thing she needs right now is more violence." Hitsugaya scowled and looked away from her, but he grudgingly had to admit that she had a point.

"Come on," Karin said encouragingly. "Let's go to the smithy. You need to vent some anger and what better way than hammering your heart out into a piece of metal? Besides, if we keep fighting here, we'll wake Momo." Hitsugaya took one last look at his sleeping cousin before allowing his wife to lead him away.

"I'll get him somehow," he thought to himself. "Karin's right. I can't just blindly attack him. But I'll figure something out. I've got to."

**Wow, this chapter starts out so light and just keeps getting darker and darker… Sorry about that. Anyway, the reason Aizen attacked her will be important later, so I didn't just throw it in to disgust you all, although I will admit I felt slightly nauseous while writing it. Anyway, just as last time I wrote a dark chapter, I promise the next one will be much happier :)**


	14. The Messiest Thing They've Ever Done

**Ok, to make up for my slow posting over the weekend, I got this chapter out faster. Plus, the last one was just too depressing, so I really wanted to write this happy one. I had a ton of fun with this, so enjoy!**

Karin was right about Hitsugaya's need to vent. Luckily, it was one of those days that the other smithy workers had off, so only Karin saw his mild psychosis as he pounded the life out of what was supposed to be a sword.

"Isn't it a little thin?" Karin asked unnecessarily, indicating the blisteringly hot metal that looked practically like a sheet of paper.

"Shut up!" Hitsugaya growled, smashing it one last time before it gave out under the force and shattered into a thousand pieces, sending burning shards everywhere. Did I say _mild _psychosis? Ok, switch that to stark raving mad.

"God, I hope you never get angry at me," Karin noted as Hitsugaya screamed with frustration and pulled another smoldering hunk of iron out of the fire. Hitsugaya turned and pointed it at her accusingly.

"I would NEVER lay a FINGER on you!" he snarled, his eyes burning with rage.

"I know that," Karin assured him. "Now get that death stick out of my face." Hitsugaya suddenly realized just how close to her he was holding the scalding orange metal.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly, pulling it away from her and placing it on the anvil.

"It's ok," Karin said lightly, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder. Hitsugaya's tense muscles relaxed slightly at her touch and he reached up to stroke her arm, leaving the inevitable trail of soot along her skin. Just her presence was enough to calm him down. It was as if she always knew exactly what he needed and said the right thing at the right time. She wasn't afraid to yell at him if he had to be reprimanded, but she was also sensitive enough to know when he just required quiet comfort. It was amazing to him that she could already read him so well and react to his emotions so perfectly. He leaned his head against hers. He was truly grateful to have her.

"Sorry," he apologized again. Karin shook her head.

"It's ok. You have every right to be upset." Hitsugaya sighed.

"Yeah, but I don't need to take it out on you."

"You're not," Karin assured him. "But I think that sword you just demolished is feeling the effects." Hitsugaya stared at the remnants of the mutilated sword which were scattered haphazardly across the floor and smirked.

"I was pretty violent with that one wasn't I?" he said amused. "It's been a long time since I…" he trailed off and sniffed the air.

"What's up?" Karin asked, noting his change of mood.

"Do you smell…?" he began, pushing Karin's arms off of him and turning around.

"FIRE!" he cried. Karin whipped around and saw that, indeed, there was a fire burning steadily in the corner next the forge, it's deadly feathers lighting up the area around it, casting dancing shadows on the walls and sending thick, rich smoke into the already soot filled air.

"How…?" she started to ask, but Hitsugaya cut her off.

"The kindling must have caught!" he said desperately. "I was so upset, I guess I didn't put it away properly, and one of those hot shards from the sword must have landed on it and ignited it. And it's near the forge so we didn't notice the heat…" He didn't finish, because at that moment, something in the fire popped scattering ashes everywhere and they threw up their hands to protect their faces.

"I'll get water!" Karin said urgently. She turned around to race towards the door, but tripped in her haste and knocked into the tongs holding the still sizzling hot chunk of iron Hitsugaya had removed from the forge. The metal went flying, landing in the coal bin and flipping it over, where it spilled its contents directly into the growing fire. Karin let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell to the floor, clutching her chest.

"Karin!" Hitsugaya shouted as the previously moderate sized fire quadrupled in strength behind him owing to the added fuel. He ignored it however, and sprinted to her side. He had only ever heard a scream like that once in his life.

_He and his parents were working in the smithy, just the three of them. His mother was lighting the forge, so the kindling was sitting out. Hitsugaya didn't even see what happened. His back was too her as had been selecting tools._

"_Watch out!" his father yelled, and Hitsugaya turned around to see the entire area around the forge engulfed in flames which lapped around the table his mother was caught behind._

_"Get Toushiro out of here!" she screamed as she attempted to throw soot on the fire to suffocate it and prevent its spread. Before Hitsugaya had time to fully comprehend the scene, his father had scooped him up and rushed him out of the smithy._

_"Go get help!" he ordered. "I'm going help your mother…" but he was cut off by a high pitched shriek that to this day plagued Hitsugaya's nightmares. It was shrill and deadly and made the hair on the back of Hitsugaya's neck stand on end._

_"No!" his father cried, dashing back into the smithy. Hitsugaya was about to follow, but he heard another petrified wail and was too scared to enter. He ran into the house as fast as his legs could carry him, screaming for help at the top of his lungs, but by the time people heard him and followed him out to the smithy, it was too late._

_That was the last time Hitsugaya saw his parents._

"I am _not_ losing Karin!" he thought furiously as he knelt beside her.

"Are you ok?" he asked anxiously. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Karin's kimono had an enormous scorch mark across it and it had fallen off one shoulder where it had been burned clean though. But she, miraculously, was unharmed.

"I'm ok," she said, patting herself all over as she didn't entirely believe it herself. "I guess I was just startled, having that thing so close to me…" but she didn't get a chance to finish as the fire spurted again, spraying them with embers and hot ash.

"We've got to put this thing out!" Karin stated, returning them both to reality.

"Right," Hitsugaya agreed, helping her to her feet; although who was really more shell shocked from the incident was not entirely clear. Stepping away from the fire, they each grabbed a bucket and hurried to the water jug outside.

"Go get help Karin," Hitsugaya told her. "I'll do what I can here…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Karin shouted. "What can you do alone? It'll take too long to find someone, and by then it may have spread to the whole smithy! I'm not leaving you. We can do this together." As reluctant as he was to put Karin in danger by keeping her near the fire, Hitsugaya caved.

"Fine," he agreed at last. It wasn't like he had a choice. Karin would do what she wanted to do, whether he liked it or not.

"I'll fill, you pour," Karin decided. Hitsugaya nodded. He liked that plan. It at least kept her outside the smithy and as far away from the fire as she could get. Karin stood at the spout, filling buckets as fast as she could and passing them forwards to Hitsugaya, who threw the water on the fire and handed the bucket back. It only took a few minutes, but to Hitsugaya and Karin, it seemed like an eternity.

"I think that's it!" Hitsugaya declared at last, spilling his final bucket of water on the few remaining embers. He stirred them with a metal spoke and checked for any hiding orange specks to ensure that the fire was really out for good. "We did it!" He heaved a gigantic sigh of relief, thanking every kami he could possibly think of that they had both survived unscathed.

Karin came back into the smithy and surveyed the damage. All in all, it really wasn't so bad. Few things in the smithy were flammable to begin with, and there was already so much soot everywhere that the added char from the fire wasn't really noticeable. The entire wall behind where the fire had been was completely scorched and the floor was soaked with a river of pitch black water. Clumps of half-burnt coal decorated the ground, along with the charcoal remnants of the kindling. The air was heavy with dark grey smoke which smelled like an old barbeque pit. Hitsugaya's hair, which was usually salt and pepper colored after a day in the smithy, had turned completely black, as had his skin and clothing, which was pitted with holes from flying embers. If she hadn't known it was him, she would have had no idea who the totally jet black person standing in front of her was. He looked like death incarnate. Karin was sure that she looked the same, albeit with the rather attractive addition of a fully charred kimono. It took her a moment to take it all in, then she dropped her face into her hands and began to make sounds that were very similar to the one's Momo had been making earlier.

"Oi, Karin, it's ok!" Hitsugaya reassured, coming over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. Karin was such a strong girl and seeing her cry over something like this hurt him tremendously. But she had been there for him throughout the whole ordeal with Momo, so now that it was her turn to be upset, he wanted to be there for her.

"It's not like this is the first fire we've had in the smithy," he said encouragingly. "And look, there's practically no damage! You're ok, I'm ok, there's nothing to cry about…" But as Karin raised her head, Hitsugaya noticed that there were no tears there. Her eyes were alight with joy and there was a wide grin on her face. She hadn't been crying. She had been _laughing_. It took a moment for Hitsugaya to process that fact, because a moment was all he had. Karin didn't give him the chance to digest before, grinning madly, she jumped at him, threw her arms around his shoulders and pressed her lips to his with so much force that he nearly fell over. Instead, he stepped back and allowed Karin to push him up against the blackened wall behind him as she clung to him as tightly as she could and kissed him with as much energy as she possessed. Hitsugaya kissed her back eagerly, as the weight of everything that had just happed and the relief that it was over flowed though them like electricity. Karin's severely burned kimono didn't survive the friction of being rubbed up against Hitsugaya's body and it fell off, but she made no effort to retrieve it. Instead, she lifted up her legs and wrapped them around Hitsugaya's waist, and the unstable force finally caused the two of them to topple over onto the wet, sooty floor. But, despite how uncomfortable it was down there, neither of them made any effort to stand back up.

ooooooooooooooo

If anyone would have come into the smithy about an hour after the fire, they would have found the Hitsugaya couple lying on the floor, talking in hushed, giddy voices, as they laughed and teased each other. The onlooker would have smiled and nodded and been on their way without ever realizing that the pair was not, in fact, wearing any clothing. They were so coated in soot that they may as well have been fully dressed.

"That was officially the messiest thing I have ever done," Karin said from her place on Hitsugaya's chest.

"Yeah, I don't think even I've ever been this sooty before," he replied, smiling as Karin traced spirals into the ash on his skin with her finger.

"You know, it's ironic," Karin said happily.

"What is?"

"Remember when I teased you about asking me on a date to the smithy and you said it wasn't a particularly romantic spot?"

"Yeah," Hitsugaya replied. It was hard to believe that that had only been a few days ago. So much had changed since then.

"Well," Karin continued, "what do you think of it now?"

"I still think this is just about the most unromantic thing we could have ever done," he answered. "We're lying on a hard, wet floor, covered in soot, in a boiling hot smithy that just had a fire rip through it."

"Yeah," Karin agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." Hitsugaya grinned and gave her shoulders a squeeze. "But you know," she added thoughtfully, "I think I could really use a bath."

"Do you need help washing your back?" Hitsugaya asked playfully. Karin smirked.

"I think I just might," she replied slyly.

**Not at all how one pictures one's first time, but hey, these two aren't exactly traditional. To be honest, the reason I decided to make him a sword smith was so that I could write this scene, and the rest of the story kind of flowed out of it. Anyway, more should be coming soon, so stay tuned :)**


	15. Surprise

**Yeah, so, sorry about the lack of smut in the last chapter. Frankly, I can't write smut to save my life. I don't even want to try. I think it will just sound stupid. And besides, this story is rated T, so I had to keep it that way. And sorry if it seemed a bit rushed. When I try to write intense, high-energy scenes like that one I often end up writing too fast to try to get a pace going and sometimes it comes out rushed. Anyway, on to more juicy goodness :)**

A week later, Karin led a rather disgruntled Hitsugaya out of the house. The reason he was disgruntled was the same reason he had to be led; he was blindfolded.

"Where are we going?" Hitsugaya asked impatiently.

"You'll see," Karin replied vaguely, swinging his hand back and forth.

"Don't do that!" he said in annoyance. "It's making me dizzy."

"You're dizzy because your hand is moving?"

"Well, when it's acting as my eyes, yeah." Karin snickered.

"No, I'm your eyes silly!" she teased, ruffling his hair. Hitsugaya scowled.

"Please explain to me again why I'm blindfolded?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I can't tell you that," Karin chimed. "It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," Hitsugaya grumbled. Karin chuckled and planted a kiss on his cheek. In spite of himself, Hitsugaya's lip twitched up into a teensy smile.

"This had better be good," he told her. "You'd better not be leading me straight into the pond or something for a laugh."

"Oh, don't worry," Karin assured him. "I'd at least be creative enough to tromp you through a mud patch first."

"Great," Hitsugaya groaned.

"Oh, lighten up Toushiro!" Karin urged.

"I'm plenty light!" he retorted, but he smiled nonetheless. They walked together in companionable silence for a bit. Unless Hitsugaya was mistaken, he was pretty sure he was being led into the garden. But he had no idea what sort of surprise could await him out there.

"Ok, we're here!" Karin announced.

"Where's here…?"

"SURPRISE!" Hitsugaya ripped off the blindfold and discovered that he was in the same clearing in the garden where they had had the wedding, surrounded by all his servants and some people he recognized as Karin's family.

"Surprise for what?" he asked confused. Karin rolled her eyes.

"It's your birthday stupid!" she laughed.

"Oh yeah," he mumbled foolishly. He normally hated celebrating his birthday, so he did his best to forget about it, but this date had been rather looming for the past year since he had assumed he would be joining the army. The fact that he wasn't was reason enough for a party.

"Happy birthday Hitsugaya-sama!" someone shouted, and before Hitsugaya could move he was being suffocated in a rather impressive amount of cleavage.

"You're choking me Matsumoto," he growled, pushing her off, but she ignored his harsh words and continued to beam at him.

"Happy birthday Shiro-chan," Momo said, coming over to him. She was leaning on Kira's arm for support since she was having difficulty walking, but she looked happier than she had all week.

"Should you be out of bed?" Hitsugaya asked with concern, not even bothering to correct her misuse of his name. "You haven't healed yet." Momo waved him off.

"I couldn't miss your party!" she sang. "Besides, Kira-kun has been more than helpful." She gave Kira a bright smile and he quaffed under her gaze.

"It's nothing Momo-sama…" he stuttered, clearly flustered by the look she was giving him. Karin smirked knowingly.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu squealed, running over to her and attacking her with a fierce hug.

"Hi Yuzu," Karin said grudgingly, delicately pushing her twin off.

"So, tell me, tell me!" she asked eagerly. "What's married life like? Do you and Hitsugaya-kun get along yet? Is he really as rich as he looks? Does he…?"

"Breathe Yuzu," Rukia advised. "She can't possibly answer all those questions at once. Although, I will say Karin, you look much happier than you did at the wedding. So I assume things are working out between you two?" Karin flushed.

"I guess so," she replied sheepishly, not willing to admit to her family the extent of her affection for her husband. Not that she thought there was anything wrong with it, but she didn't think other people needed to hear it. Her feelings were between her and Hitsugaya. They weren't for public consumption.

"See, fathers are always right!" Isshin exclaimed exuberantly. "I knew Karin would be happy…" but he was shut up by an elbow to the jaw courtesy of his 'happy daughter.'

"No you didn't, you just wanted to keep me out of the army!" she retorted, but she couldn't help smiling. Her father had made a wonderful choice for her, although she would die before admitting it.

"So spill!" Yuzu insisted. "What's Hitsugaya-kun really like?"

"I don't think she wants to talk about that," Ichigo butted in. Yuzu pouted.

"Moh, onii-chan!" she whined, but Karin grinned at him.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Don't mention it," he replied. "Besides, I don't really want to hear all the sappy details that go along with that deranged smile you had your face when you got here."

"You're all heart," Karin said sarcastically.

"Oi, Karin!" someone called, and Karin turned to see Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichka standing together, waving a pack of cards.

"We're going to play poker! You in?"

"You bet!" Karin replied excitedly. Ichigo, Isshin, Hitsugaya, and Matsumoto joined in too and the party was a huge success as everyone laughed, ate, and trash-talked their way to a pile of rocks, which had been substituted for money in the poker game.

"All in!" Karin declared, pushing her rocks into the pot.

"Oh, I'm so taking you down!" Hitsugaya challenged, adding his own rocks to hers.

"Yeah, you wish!" Karin chided, and Hitsugaya winced at the innuendo as everyone except Ichigo howled with laughter. They were enjoying themselves so much, they didn't notice the three men on horses until one of the servants screamed and a maid actually fainted.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro," boomed a voice, and a chilly silence fell over the group as all eyes turned towards the speaker.

"Sasakibe Choujirou-dono!" Matsumoto gasped, but her introduction was unnecessary. Everyone present knew who the man with silver hair, a thin mustache, and a European style rapier was; the army's commanding officer in charge of collection of new recruits from their region. His voice was like a death sentence and a simple glance at his face was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the bravest of men and have them whimpering like beaten puppies.

"Toushiro," Karin said anxiously, trying not to let her panic show on her face as she looked at her husband. Hitsugaya set his expression into one of fierce determination and stood to face the men.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Sasakibe-dono," Hitsugaya asked as politely as he could while his eyes were narrowed with hatred and suspicion.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro," Sasakibe proclaimed. "Today is the day of your eighteenth birthday and as such, you are hereby summoned to join the ranks of the army of his majesty, King Yamamoto Genryuusai..."

"But I'm exempt!" Hitsugaya cried, realizing a moment too late that he probably shouldn't have interrupted this man. But he was too panicked to care. "I'm married! This is my wife." He indicated Karin who nodded fervently. "We have a marriage certificate, it's legal and binding…"

"I am well aware of your marital status Hitsugaya-san," Sasakibe cut him off. "But as you have a skill that King Yamamoto deems valuable to him, you are being summoned for a shortened period while the army makes use of that skill."

"And that would be?" Hitsugaya asked threateningly. Sasakibe was not intimidated.

"Your abilities as a sword smith," he stated. "You will join the ranks of the army for as long as it takes you to outfit the samurai battalion." Hitsugaya felt all the blood drain out of his face.

"The samurai battalion?!" he said desperately. "But that will take me…"

"Four years," Sasakibe finished his sentence. "That is the estimated time frame. But, if your skills are as renowned as they are rumored to be, I'm sure you won't have any trouble shaving a few months off." Hitsugaya couldn't speak. He could barely breathe. It felt like his world had just crumbled beneath him. Beside him, Karin and Matsumoto were in similar states.

"I'll give you ten minutes to say goodbye to your family," Sasakibe continued. "And then we will leave."

"Ten minutes!?" Hitsugaya thought. "That's it?" He turned to face Karin and Matsumoto, who were at an utter loss for words. Momo and Kira stumbled over to them.

"Hitsugaya-kun," Momo said distraught. "Do you really have to go?"

"Do I have a choice?" he said in a defeated voice. "You can't ignore a summons, they just kill you and your entire family. Damn it!" he swore, finally getting angry at his situation. "I thought the whole _point_ of getting married was so that I didn't have to do this!"

"Oh, so is that all I mean to you then!?" Karin yelled affronted.

"Wait, Karin, I didn't mean it like that…" Hitsugaya began, but she had run off.

"Karin!" he called, but she had already disappeared from view. "Damn it, why am I such an idiot?!" he derided himself before chasing after her without a second thought.

"Should we follow him, Sasakibe-dono?" one of his henchmen asked.

"No," he replied. "He has ten minutes. He'll return. He knows what the consequences are if he doesn't."

oooooooooooooooo

"Karin!" Hitsugaya shouted, looking for her frantically. Luckily, he found her rapidly. She was exactly where he thought she would be; at the same lake she had thrown rocks into after the wedding, and where he had given her a ring with her name on it, which she was now fiddling with.

"Karin, I'm so sorry…" Hitsugaya started, but Karin didn't wait for him to finish before attacking him with her lips. She pressed herself against him, holding onto him for dear life, and, as soon as Hitsugaya got over the initial shock of being smothered by her mouth rather than her fists, he did the same.

"I thought you were mad at me," he said from his place in her neck.

"Of course not," Karin replied, still holding him close to her. "But this was the best way I could think of to get you alone. You didn't really think I was going to kiss you in front of everyone, did you?" Hitsugaya tried to smile, but he couldn't. He simply gripped Karin harder, wishing with all his might that he would just wake up from this nightmare.

"It's alright," Karin said in an attempt to reassure him. "Four years isn't that long. We'll be ok…"

"Three," Hitsugaya stated soundly. "I'm going to do it in three."

"Don't be ridiculous," Karin scolded. "Even you can't…"

"I'm going to do it in three!" he repeated firmly. "You watch." Karin smiled.

"Ok then," she agreed. "You'd better keep that promise, or you won't have a happy wife waiting for you when you get home." Hitsugaya finally smirked.

"Well I wouldn't want that, now would I?" he teased. Karin smiled briefly.

"You'll write?" she asked hopefully.

"Every day," Hitsugaya replied with a sad smile. But they both knew that was a lie. Letters home weren't allowed. Yamamoto liked to keep his soldiers in total isolation.

"Just promise me one thing," Karin said seriously, looking deeply into his eyes. "Come back whole."

"What do you mean?" Hitsugaya asked curiously. "I'm not going to be training. They recruited me because I'm a sword smith and I believe they intend to take full advantage of that. I won't get bloodied up in combat practice or anything. I just have to worry about not over-straining myself in the smithy, but I can handle that…"

"No," Karin shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, don't let the army break you. If you come back as an unemotional vegetable, or a bloodthirsty tyrant, I…" she paused, desperately trying to fight back her tears. "I don't think…I'll be able to handle it." Hitsugaya looked at her reddening nose and the tears forming in her eyes, and his heart broke. He didn't think he could keep that promise if he made it. The army had the uncanny ability to break just about anyone. But he wasn't going to be a normal soldier. He wouldn't have to go through the same hell they went through. Sure, he would be worked like a slave, but it would be in a smithy. That was _his_ turf. It couldn't be too damaging. And he was only going to be there for three years, just like Matsumoto. Maybe he would come out relatively unscathed.

"I'll do my best," he promised, stroking her hair comfortingly. They stood like that for another minute or so, clinging tightly to each other, unwilling to let go and face reality again. But finally, Hitsugaya knew he had to return.

"I love you Karin," he whispered in her ear, leaning in to capture her lips in a final kiss.

"I love you too Toushiro," she replied, her tears finally escaping.

They held hands all the way back. Hitsugaya permitted Matsumoto and Momo to give him hugs, then he climbed on the back of the horse that Sasakibe provided. He wouldn't be taking anything with him. Soldiers weren't permitted to have personal items. Hitsugaya looked down at his wife one last time.

"If you come back with another woman I'm going to beat you until you wish you had stayed in the army," Karin threatened, her face now tear free.

"I'll keep that in mind," Hitsugaya replied. He smiled as best as he could under the circumstances, and she returned it.

"Let's go!" Sasakibe directed. Hitsugaya went with the three men out of the garden and towards the entrance of the grounds while everyone from the party followed at a safe distance. Hitsugaya turned around one last time at the gate. His eyes found Karin's but at the distance they were at, it was impossible to read each other's expressions. Karin fought with herself for a moment, but decided that she didn't care what other people thought. Taking a deep breath, she screamed at the top of her lungs,

"I LOVE YOU TOUSHIRO!" She had never said it unprompted before. Karin couldn't see his face, but she hoped he was smiling. The horses exited the gate, turned the corner, and disappeared from sight. The cold, hard truth began to settle in.

Toushiro was gone.

**Hah! Bet you didn't expect **_**that**_**! :)**

**Do you guys want a couple chapters about Toushiro's time in the army, or do you just want me to skip to homecoming? I have the army part all thought out (I wrote it in my head during an exam of all things, which tells you how exciting the class is), but there's no Karin in it, because she's back at home, (she'll poke her head in once or twice, but it's really Hitsugaya's story), so it's kind of a deviation from what this story is supposed to be about. I'm just asking because the army chapters are a bit darker and more serious, because, as I've clearly indicated, being in the army is no picnic, and I don't want to depress people anymore than I already have with the Momo thing. Otherwise, there's not too much left to this story, since right now they are happy and in love, etc… Let me know what you guys think, I can go either way.**


	16. Mattresses and Tyrants

**Ok, so most of you wanted at least a few army chapters, and I realized that I liked them and some important stuff happens while he's there, so I'm going to put them in. There will be three army chapters and then he'll go home, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. And Karin will appear at least once. I promise to mix dark stuff with happy stuff so you won't get too depressed. Remember, good stuff is coming back, but I really do want to include this part. So please stick with me though the pain and suffering because it won't be all bad :P**

"You've been assigned to barrack 3683K, bunk 87," the burly officer drawled, reading information off a clipboard. "Wake up is at 4:00, breakfast is served from 4:30-5:00, lunch is from 12:00-12:30, dinner from 19:00-19:30 and lights out is at 23:00. You're exempt from basic training, lucky stiff, so you'll be expected to spend as much time as possible in the smithy. Any questions?" Hitsugaya shook his head. He was still praying that this was all a bad dream and he wasn't actually standing here in the black kimono and hakama pants of the army's uniform.

"An assistant has been assigned to help you," the officer continued. "Her purpose is to serve your every need, so please take full advantage of her." He stood up and poked his head out the door.

"Oi, Saito!" he screamed. "Get your sorry behind in here!" A tall soldier with a crew cut and a cocky expression scuttled into the room.

"Ready for your orders sir!" he said energetically, saluting as he did so.

"Take Hitsugaya here down to the smithy and show him the ropes," the officer ordered.

"Sure thing sir!" Saito replied. "Come on kid." Hitsugaya swallowed his annoyance at being called "kid," and followed.

"Damn, you're one lucky son of a whore," Saito noted, clearly thinking he was giving Hitsugaya a compliment. "Exempt from basic training, shortened service time, plus you get Ori-chan as your mattress. Dang, I'd trade my left kidney if I could land her."

"Excuse me, my _what_?" Hitsugaya asked as politely as he could.

"Your mattress," Saito explained. "We've got a lot of lingo around here kid, and you'd better pick it up hella' quick or else you'll be floundering. Anywho, mattresses are what we call our service girls. 'Cause, you know, that's pretty much what they are."

"I'm sorry, I really don't understand what you mean," Hitsugaya said, trying desperately to keep his patience. He was beginning to dislike this Saito person.

"Oh come on," Saito groaned, rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me a pretty boy like you's never been laid." Hitsugaya choked, but Saito didn't seem to notice. "See, our mattresses are assigned to us by the brass to satisfy, you know, _manly_ urges so to speak. Oh sure, they help us out in other ways, you know, making our beds, and washing our clothes and such, but it's at night when they're _really_ valuable."

"Well, I afraid that I won't have much use for…um…Ori-san," Hitsugaya replied sourly, refusing to use a word as demeaning as "mattress" to describe another human being. "I'm perfectly capable of making my own bed and washing my own clothing. And there is absolutely no way I would take advantage of her." Saito laughed.

"Yeah, they all say that at the beginning, but you'll loosen up. As soon as you see her, you'll change your mind right away, mark my words." Hitsugaya scoffed.

"I sincerely doubt that. My wife would murder me in my sleep." Saito howled with laughter.

"Oh, idealist, oh that's rich…wait, WHAT?! You've got a bloody _wife_?! Then what the hell are you doin' here?"

"I wish I knew," Hitsugaya grumbled. Saito shrugged.

"Don't matter anyway. What she don't know don't hurt her, am I right?" He nudged Hitsugaya who scowled. They had finally reached a building which Hitsugaya could only assume was a smithy. The windows were smothered in soot and there was a towering brick chimney in the center.

"Oi! Ori-chan!" Saito called. "The sword smith dude is here!"

"Coming!" sang a voice and from around the corner emerged one of the most gorgeous women Hitsugaya had ever seen. She actually reminded him a bit of Matsumoto, with her long, flowing strawberry blond hair and excessive chest that was threatening to spill out of her uniform.

"Karin's much more attractive," he thought faithfully, but he couldn't deny this woman's beauty.

"Hi!" she said cheerily. "I'm Inoue Orihime. I'm your assistant."

"Hitsugaya Toushiro," he replied. "Have you ever worked in a smithy before, Inoue-san?" Inoue giggled.

"Oh no," she said playfully. "But I'm excited to learn!" Hitsugaya suppressed a groan with tremendous difficulty. He needed to work fast and efficiently if he was going to keep his promise. The last thing he needed was to waste time training an assistant, when he didn't even think he really needed one in the first place.

"Well, let's get started," he said optimistically. "Thanks for bringing me here, Saito-san."

"Anytime!" he replied. "I'll see you two later than?" He winked at Hitsugaya. "Enjoy!"

"Jerk," Hitsugaya mumbled. He entered the smithy and looked around. He had to admit, he was impressed. At least the army spared no expense when it came to their weapons. The smithy was very well stocked with every tool Hitsugaya could imagine himself needing and a six month's supply of materials. Trying very hard not to think of his smithy at home and how much he missed it already, Hitsugaya picked up a shovel and began to fill the forge with coal.

"Wow!" Inoue exclaimed. "Look at this! It's all…ouch!" she cried, jumping away from the tool she had been examining. "Did you know, that's sharp?" Hitsugaya sighed.

"Look," he said, "I don't mean to be rude, but the thing is, I don't really need your help. I'm used to working by myself and frankly, I have a lot of swords to make and I don't really have time to train you. So if you could just, you know, sit over there or something, that'd be great. Oh, and don't touch anything. Chances are you'll get cut or burned if you don't know what you're doing." Inoue's face fell.

"Oh, and here I wanted to be helpful," she pouted. "I know! I'll tell you a story! Once upon a time…"

"Inoue-san," Hitsugaya interrupted. "Please. Just…just let me work." But Inoue didn't listen and continued her story about a magical fairy and a box of raisins. Hitsugaya drowned her out as best he could and set his mind on the task at hand. He had made hundreds of swords in his lifetime, but finishing this project would be the biggest challenge he had ever faced. Not only would it be horribly boring, but he fully intended to keep his promise to Karin to finish in three years. And so, with Inoue's mindless chatter ringing in the background, Hitsugaya picked up the bellows and began to work.

ooooooooooooooo

"Hitsugaya-san. Hitsugaya-san. Hitsugaya-san!"

"Oh, sorry. What is it?" Hitsugaya had been doing his best to shut out Inoue's voice all morning, so he didn't even notice her call his name.

"It's lunch time," she told him. "Let's take a break!"

"You go," Hitsugaya said before returning to the sword he was hammering. "I'm going to keep working."

"You're going to wear yourself out if you work too hard," Inoue scolded lightly.

"I know," he replied distractedly. "Go to lunch." Inoue waited for a few moments, until it became clear that Hitsugaya had no intention of joining her.

"Ok, well, see you later!" she exclaimed before bounding out the door. Her face fell the moment she was in the fresh air and she leaned against the outer wall of the smithy and sighed.

"What's wrong Orihime?"

"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue cheered, spotting her friend. "Oh, my new tyrant doesn't seem to like me very much. He just ignored me all morning." Tatsuki scoffed.

"And you're complaining? That's the best you can hope for. And at least I hear he's cute. I've got this overgrown tub of lard right now who smells like a sewer. Honestly, I think he rubs his dirty socks all over him every night before he calls me. Anyway, let's get to lunch."

Lunch was a silent affair, at least for the women. They were expected to service their "tyrants" without making a single sound. The consequences for speaking were too serious to comprehend. Having no tyrant to serve, Inoue ate rather quickly, then filled a bowl to bring to Hitsugaya. She figured it was the least she could do.

She returned to the smithy where Hitsugaya was still hammering away. His face was soaked with sweat and his hair and clothing were covered in black soot.

"Ano, Hitsugaya-san!" Inoue said brightly to get his attention. "I brought you some lunch." Hitsugaya looked up at her and at the bowl she was holding.

"Thanks, but I don't really have time…"

"Oh, you can take five minutes to eat!" she insisted. "Have you taken a break all day?" Hitsugaya wiped his brow on his filthy sleeve. No, he hadn't taken a break, and he _was_ rather hungry.

"Thanks for getting me food," he said politely, dipping his hands in water to clean them and taking the bowl from her.

"Anytime!" she replied enthusiastically. "It's my duty!" Hitsugaya scoffed.

"Look, I don't care how other men treat women around here, but let's just make one thing clear. You are not my slave, nor my "service girl," nor any of the other derogatory things you're expected to be. This army is so messed up. I'm fine with you being my assistant in here, but I mean it when I say I don't have time to train you. It'll take months for you to learn how to do everything properly and I have to stay ahead of schedule if I'm going to be out of here in three years." Inoue was stunned by his little speech. Well, she guessed she should have expected it from a new recruit who still retained the morals of the real world. She had never had a new recruit as her tyrant in the four years she had been in the army. Usually, experienced women were assigned to the newly recruited men to "break them in," and newly recruited women were assigned to older men for the same reason. She had been in the army so long, she forgotten how normal men acted. But she knew Hitsugaya would grow out of it soon enough. The thought made her sad. This man seemed so pure and innocent. She hated the thought of him being corrupted by the ways of the army.

"Do you really think you can finish in three years?" she asked hopefully.

"I have to," Hitsugaya replied. "I promised my wife I would, and I know better than to break a promise to her." Inoue gasped.

"You have a wife?!" Hitsugaya nodded, and his eyes lit up as he thought of Karin.

"Yeah," he said wistfully. "And she's the most incredible woman I've ever met." He paused as he realized what he was saying.

"Sorry," he apologized curtly. "You don't need to hear that…"

"Oh no," Inoue protested. "I love that you have a life outside of here. You have something to go back to. It makes you real. And it might keep you sane."

"Don't you have family?" Inoue shook her head.

"I'm an orphan. And my brother who was taking care of me died right before I came here." She sighed then smiled broadly. "But it's ok! I'm doing alright here!" Hitsugaya was stunned. How this girl was surviving the army with such a cheery attitude he would never figure out.

He turned to the bowl in his hands. It was filled with some kind of grey slop that smelled like rotting meat. Tentatively, he leaned his head back and took a sip. It tasted a thousand times worse than it smelled, and he spit it out immediately.

"How can you eat that?!" he cried. "That is officially the worst thing I have ever tasted in my life!" Inoue shrugged.

"You get used to it," she replied nonchalantly. Hitsugaya scoffed.

"Whatever. I'm going back to work."

"Ok!" Inoue said brightly. "I know, I'll sing while you work!" Hitsugaya groaned. It was going to be a long three years.

**I finally broke down and made an OC. I've tried to use as many Bleach characters as possible in this story, but there just wasn't anyone who acted the way I want Saito to act. I've also never written with Inoue before (she shows up for like 30 seconds in "Toushiro is Going to Kill You," but that doesn't really count, so I apologize if I butcher her character a little bit.**

**Oh, also, I want to thank you all so much for being such wonderful readers. The number of reviews I have for this story is absolutely incredible. I never expected anything like it, especially since I wasn't sure if this story was going to be interesting to people or not. So thanks a million! You guys really make my day :)**


	17. From Bad to Worse

**Just to clarify, there is no war or anything going on. Yamamoto just likes to have a standing army, like any good leader, although, being Yamamoto, he's a little tyrannical about it. I'm not going to send Hitsugaya off to fight or anything. I know that's probably a little anticlimactic, but I don't think sticking a war into this story would do anything for it. I apologize if Hitsugaya is a little OOC in this chapter, but given the circumstances, it's the best I could do.**

A bell rang at 10:30 signaling that it was time to return to the barracks. Hitsugaya grudgingly put down his hammer. He was tired, having worked a much longer day than he usually did. That, coupled with Inoue's incessant noise and the fact that he hadn't eaten a thing made this one of the most miserable days of his life, including his wedding day. On the bright side, he had exceeded his daily quota by a single sword. But he would have to pick up the pace if he wanted to get out on time.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Inoue-san," he said as he was leaving.

"Um, Hitsugaya-san," Inoue called after him. "If…if you need me for anything, just let me know…"

"I already told you," Hitsugaya growled. "You're not my slave. Besides, I'm married…"

"No," Inoue shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, it's technically my job to help you with anything you require, and since I'm not much use to you in the smithy, if you want me to do your laundry or something, I can do that. It would give you more time to work, and I would feel like I was helping you out, at least a little." Hitsugaya's heart went out to her. This spunky girl shouldn't be so eager to be so docile. But that's the army for you.

"I'll think about it," he replied vaguely. "Have a good night." And with that, he headed off in search of barrack 3683K, bunk 87.

He arrived at a series of dilapidated row houses made out of corrugated tin with thin, battered roofs that Hitsugaya was sure resonated horribly in the rain. They looked like one strong gust of wind would blow them right over. Walking past numerous of these pathetic excuses for buildings and trying to avoid getting stomped on by the sea of soldiers racing back and forth in their scurry to get to bed on time, Hitsugaya finally found the building labeled 3683K and entered.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. Moldy clothing, mildewed towels, old sweat, fresh blood, vomit, and that rancid meat from lunch permeated the room. Hitsugaya suppressed his gag reflex as he walked down a long row of rusting iron bunk beds. Men in every state of dressed (and undressed) chatted unabashedly as silent women washed the men's bodies for them and picked their vile clothing off the floor, where they had been deposited haphazardly by their owners.

"Don't these people have any decency?" Hitsugaya grumbled to himself. After what seem like an eternity, he reached an empty bed labeled with a tattered sign reading "87." The ratty sheets were as coarse as sandpaper and smelled like they had just been pulled from a swamp. The fact that they were damp only supported this theory.

"Hey, fancy meeting you here!" said an unfortunately familiar voice and Hitsugaya looked up to see Saito's grinning face leaning down off the top bunk. He had a trail of dried blood caked onto his cheek, clearly a souvenir of his afternoon training session. "Can't believe we're bunkmates! 'Course, I knew they were gonna' fill that bed quickly, but damn, what're the odds? Oi, Aki-chan, come meet Hitsugaya!" A plump girl with freckles who was standing not too far away looked up and dashed over at Saito's command.

"This here's my mattress," Saito said by way of introduction. "Fat as a hen hock ain't she, but damn, this girl can take you for a ride!" He flashed Aki a smile, and she simply nodded her head subserviently. "Hey," he said surreptitiously, turning back to Hitsugaya. "I know it's against the rules and all, but I'll swap mattresses with you for a night if you like. How about it?" He winked at Hitsugaya who didn't think it was possible to despise a man so much.

"No thank you," he said coolly. He held out his hand to Aki.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Aki-san," Hitsugaya said in a friendly tone. "I'm Hitsugaya Toushiro." Aki seemed startled to be addressed so formally, but she simply bowed her head in response. Saito howled with laughter.

"Mattresses ain't allowed to talk in the kitchens or the barracks," he said as if explaining a simple rule like, 'make sure you wash your feet before bed.' "Women's gossip is just distracting, you know what I'm saying? Anyway, where's Ori-chan?"

"In her barrack I expect," Hitsugaya replied curtly, wanting very much to terminate this conversation and get ready for bed.

"What's wrong with you kid?" Saito asked, shaking his head. "Man, I'd have her in bed so quick she wouldn't have time to breathe."

"I told you," Hitsugaya sneered. "I _have_ a _wife_! And I have no intention of cheating on her!"

"And I told you," Saito retorted, jumping off his bed to poke Hitsugaya in the chest, "that what she don't know don't hurt her." Hitsugaya desperately wanted to take a page out of Karin's book and deck this man in the face, and he had to exercise every ounce of willpower he possessed not to do so.

"It doesn't matter if she doesn't know," Hitsugaya replied icily. "_I'll_ know."

"What, does this chick have three tits or something?" Saito laughed. Hitsugaya snapped.

POW! The people around them fell temporarily silent as they turned towards the pair. Hitsugaya was clutching his knuckles in pain. They were coated in blood. _His_ blood. Saito's jaw on the other hand, seemed entirely uninjured.

"What, is he made out of iron or something?" Hitsugaya wondered. It was true that he had never hit anyone before. Sure, he was a master swordsman, but when it came to hand to hand combat, he had never had much training. But he hadn't expected Saito to be that much stronger than him. Still, Hitsugaya's fury at the moment overwhelmed his surprise and pain.

"Don't you _ever_ disrespect my wife again!" he snarled. Saito raised an eyebrow then laughed a high, evil laugh.

"Oh, and just what do you plan to do about it kid?" he challenged. Hitsugaya narrowed his eyebrows, and he raised his arms in a ready stance, but before he could even throw another punch, Saito had launched himself at him and was pummeling him to a pulp. Hitsugaya finally managed to jump out of the way, crashing into a basin of water and causing it to smash into pieces. He kicked one of the broken shards at Saito, but he simply dodged and went in for another blow, which landed directly in Hitsugaya's stomach, and he finally retched and vomited all over the floor. The crowd around them cheered and applauded with every hit, and cries of, "get him!" and "show him who's boss!" filtered out of the crowd and into Hitsugaya's ringing ears. Saito loomed over him, elbow primed and ready for a face jab, when Hitsugaya heard a commanding voice shout,

"What the hell is going on over here?!" Hitsugaya panicked. He was hearing way too many familiar voices tonight for his comfort.

The crowd parted and a man with blue hair and a white uniform stepped forwards.

"Saito, what the hell are you doing?" Saito looked over at the man.

"Just teaching this new recruit a few things about respect, Grimmjaw-dono," he said nonchalantly, pointing his thumb at Hitsugaya,

"Eh, well that's fine, but try to keep the noise down…" His voice faded as he recognized Hitsugaya. A sickly smile spread across his cat-like face.

"Oi, Saito, mind if I have a go?" he asked hungrily.

"Not at all sir!" Saito agreed, stepping away from Hitsugaya and offering him to Grimmjaw like a piece of meat. Grimmjaw stepped forwards, cracking his knuckles menacingly. Hitsugaya gulped. He knew there was no way out of this. Everyone around him was against him, and, ironically enough, he didn't have a sword. Kicking Grimmjaw while he was drunk in a bar was one thing, but this was an entirely different situation. Even he knew that attacking his superior officer would result in horrific punishment, and he wasn't keen to learn what that was.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy this!" Grimmjaw said greedily. Hitsugaya braced himself for the punch.

"GRIMMJAW!" boomed a voice, and Hitsugaya had never in his life been so thankful to hear someone shouting. The onlookers scattered as a commanding officer thundered over to Grimmjaw and the trying-vainly-not-to-look-as-petrified-as-he-was-Hitsugaya.

"Grimmjaw," the officer continued. "Do you intend to tell me why in tarnation _your_ bunk is the only one that still has its lights on? You're the officer in charge! It's your responsibility!"

"Sorry sir," Grimmjaw said without conviction. "But we've got a new recruit here who needs a lesson." He indicated Hitsugaya who was bleeding profusely from a cut under his eye and breathing heavily. His cheek, which had just recently healed, was bruised again.

"Oh," the officer said with a shrug. "Well then, carry on…wait." He paused and studied Hitsugaya intently, who was saying a little prayer inside his head. "Isn't that kid the new sword smith?"

"Yes I am sir," Hitsugaya replied fervently.

"You know you can't injure him beyond repair Grimmjaw," the officer said. "If he can't work because of this, it'll be your head that rolls." Grimmjaw scoffed.

"Fine," he said grudgingly. He looked back at Hitsugaya and, just for good measure, kicked him in the chest. Hitsugaya wasn't expecting it and he toppled backwards onto his bed, narrowly missing smashing his head on the frame. The officer shrugged.

"Lights out in thirty seconds!" he ordered as he left. Grimmjaw waltzed over to Hitsugaya and stuck his face into his.

"We're going to have a great time together, aren't we!" he said, trying to be as intimidating as possible and succeeding phenomenally well. Hitsugaya did his best to ignore his face, which stung horribly, and his chest, which was on fire, and return Grimmjaw's glare with one of his own. Grimmjaw smirked and pulled his head back.

"Lights out!" he cried, and the girls who were still present ran around blowing out candles. Hitsugaya was already on his bed, so he pulled the damp sheets over himself, still fully dressed in his sooty clothing, and nursed his injuries. He saw Aki and Saito climb into the bed above him, and soon it began to creak. Hitsugaya covered his head with his pillow, attempting and failing to drown out the sounds of tired bedsprings that soon came from almost every corner of the room.

"Kami, get me out of this hell hole," he muttered, trying not to vomit again as the stench from his sheets filled his nose.

"I miss you already Karin," he thought, and an image of her smiling face filled his mind. "What would you do in my position? Probably beat the crap out of Saito and Grimmjaw and deal with the consequences as they came. Maybe I'm just a coward." He understood now why the army broke people. This environment was the antithesis of normalcy. He had new respect for Matsumoto and any other woman he knew who had survived it. He knew why Matsumoto had refused to talk about her experiences. He didn't even want to think about them. But Karin had asked him to come back whole. And, as Inoue had said, having something to go back to might keep him sane.

"I promise Karin," he whispered into his (non-human) mattress. "I'm coming back in three years. And I'm coming back whole."

"You'd better," said a voice inside his head that sounded uncannily like Karin's. "Or I'll beat you worse than Grimmjaw!" Hitsugaya bit his lip to suppress a sob as the full weight of his current situation finally collapsed on him.

"I love you," he thought to the voice in his head. Instead of replying, Hitsugaya allowed the voice to fill his mind with song. But it wasn't the irritating, inane song Inoue had been singing before. This one was relaxing and soothing, just as it had been when he was a small child. And it made him feel just that much closer to Karin; and home.

_Oh little bird,_

_Where do you go?_

_When the snow starts to fall,_

_And the wind starts to blow?_

_Oh little bird,_

_Do you still sing your song?_

_When the days are so cold,_

_And the nights are so long?_

_Oh little bird,_

_For spring do I yearn._

_And so until then,_

_I await your return._

ooooooooooooooo

Hitsugaya and Inoue fell into a routine. Hitsugaya did his best to avoid people at all costs. In particular, he wanted to be in his barrack as little as possible. He learned how to prepare for the day in under five minutes and be in the smithy before most people had even risen from their beds. He stayed there as late as he could in the evenings, timing it so that he was back in the barrack exactly five minutes before lights out, since he had also trained himself to wash and change as modestly as possible in that scanty period of time. He skipped all meals, preferring to work. Inoue brought his food back to the smithy for him, during which time he allowed himself a short break, eating as fast as he could, both to get back to work and to minimize the amount of time he had to have that vile food in his mouth. He finally caved and permitted Inoue to do his laundry. It was technically her job after all, and he did have servants do it at home. Besides, it gave him some blessed silence for a few hours, and provided him with even more time to strive towards his goal of finishing a whole year early.

Spending so much time in the smithy also did wonders for his sanity. Sure, Inoue drove him up the wall most days, but at least she was a human, unlike those monsters walking around outside. And being in the smithy almost felt like being back at home, although he missed the creativity involved in forging ceremonial swords. The assembly line monotony of producing battle sword after battle sword was horribly boring. But he could handle boredom and Inoue's ramblings if it meant he hadn't regressed into a chauvinistic caveman.

He was doing fairly well in terms of sword production, and after a month, he had increased his efficiency so that he was manufacturing almost three extra swords a day. That would cut off a few months, but it wasn't enough to get him out in three years. And he was already physically exhausted. He needed some push, some extra something that would increase his speed, but he was working as hard as he could and he couldn't come up with anything.

Until one day when Hitsugaya turned around to go get a tool and he saw Inoue standing there, holding it out to him.

"This is what you need next right?" she asked hopefully. Hitsugaya gaped at her. It was a very specific hammer. There were at least ten others that looked exactly like it to the untrained eye.

"How did you know?" he asked dumbfounded. Inoue blushed.

"I've been watching you. Your technique is complex, but it's really not so hard to remember once you've seen it a hundred times." Hitsugaya was impressed to say the least. This whole time, he thought she was just dancing in the corner, rambling on about purple chickens and enchanted green beans, when really, she had been observing.

"I want to help," Inoue said at last. "You've been working so hard and I just sit there. I want to be useful. I can help you work faster."

"Yes," Hitsugaya agreed at last. "You can."

That was the trigger. With Inoue's help, Hitsugaya increased his production to six extra swords a day, and he was sure that after a few weeks of working together, they would improve even more.

"I can do this!" he thought optimistically. "Karin, I'm going to make it!"

**Sorry Hitsugaya is so weak. It's weird to write him like this, because he's usually the officer in charge and the strongest one around, but in this situation, he wouldn't be. Plus, I don't feel like dealing with a punishment, and I think if he took on Grimmjaw, he would definitely be subjected to one. This is the darkest army chapter, so we're almost done people! And there will be some Karin in the next one. Thanks for hanging on :)**


	18. Revenge!

**We made it! Last army chapter, as promised. And this one is much lighter than the others, so really, the army part wasn't as bad as I thought. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. It's long overdue.**

After he had been there for about a year, Hitsugaya received a summons to meet with the commanding officer of his unit to discuss his progress.

"I've got to go to this meeting," he told Inoue as she helped him hold a sword steady. "It shouldn't take too long." He thought he saw a flicker of sorrow flash across her eyes, but it was gone so quickly he was sure he had imagined it.

"Ok!" she said as brightly as always. "I'll mix some metal while you're gone then!" Hitsugaya nodded, thanked her for bringing him the food, and left for his meeting.

He entered the office and a peon told him to sit. He waited for what felt like forever, all the while lamenting the lost time in the smithy, when finally, the same burly officer who had met him on his first day bumbled into the room and plopped himself down in his chair. He looked at Hitsugaya and appraised him with a thoughtful expression.

"Ah yes," he said as if remembering something mildly interesting. "Our little prodigy sword smith. I've been tracking your work and I must say, I'm rather impressed. You've managed to produce swords at a remarkable rate, and they are of much higher quality than anything I've ever seen." Hitsugaya nodded at the compliment.

"Do you have a team of people working in there that I don't know about?" the officer asked slyly, then laughed heartily at his own joke. "But seriously, you know you'll be out of here ahead of schedule if you keep this up." Hitsugaya nodded again.

"That's the plan sir," he said. The officer smirked.

"Isn't it always? Well, as you have clearly demonstrated your skills and commitment, we were thinking that it's about time you have your mattress changed. We've got some really great ones lined up. What do you think?" Hitsugaya knew that he was not referring the item he slept on.

"No thank you sir," he replied coolly. "I am perfectly happy with Inoue-san." After a year in the army, he still couldn't bring himself to use the term "mattress," and he was quite proud of that fact. "Besides, training someone else to assist me in the smithy would only slow me down."

"I see," the officer replied thoughtfully. "Well then, if there is anything else we can do for you, please let me know." Hitsugaya checked.

"What?" he asked, utterly flabbergasted. The army didn't do _anything_ to make people's lives easier, nor did it do them any favors. Where was this coming from?

"King Yamamoto himself has seen your work, arms inspection is a favorite past time of his, and he says you are to be rewarded for your fine creations," the officer explained. "If a new mattress won't appease you, then perhaps something else might? Within reason, of course," he added with a smirk. "Don't get carried away now."

A reward? Oh, Hitsugaya could think of a hundred things he wanted. Some leave time to go home for a few days. A private bedroom. A decent meal. Permission to string Saito and Grimmjaw up by their toes butt naked an inch over the forge and have them beg for mercy. A muzzle for Inoue. But there was one thing that he wanted above and beyond all that. Something he knew he may never have another opportunity to ask for.

"Sir," he said respectfully. "I wish for justice to be dealt to a certain man for crimes which are, in my opinion, unforgiveable." The officer raised an eyebrow.

"This sounds interesting," he said, leaning back in his chair and preparing for a good story. "Who is this man, and what are his crimes."

"His name is Aizen Souske sir," Hitsugaya continued. "And he is guilty of beating his pregnant wife to within an inch of her life all for the purpose of killing her unborn child."

"Well now that's nothing new," the officer brushed him off, clearly disappointed by his story. "Men beat their wives all the time when they find out they're carrying a bastard. That's totally acceptable." Hitsugaya suppressed the urge to correct him on his breech of morality and settled for shaking his head.

"No sir," he explained. "This was no bastard. This was Aizen's own child. He simply didn't want it." The officer looked at him quizzically.

"Well, I can't say it's a particularly convincing story, nor is it a standard reward, but I don't see any reason to keep it from you. What would you like done with this man?"

Hitsugaya was stunned. Did this officer actually agree?! A little devil awoke inside of him. He could do anything he wanted to Aizen now. _Anything_. His first instinct was death, but then he decided that death wasn't good enough. Aizen deserved to suffer for what he had done, and Hitsugaya could think of no worse punishment than the hell of prison. It was said that prisoners looked upon army life as pure heaven compared to the pain and torture they were put through. Although Hitsugaya would have preferred to rip him limb from limb himself, he decided that prison was a fine enough alternative.

"I want him thrown in prison for the rest of his life," Hitsugaya replied. "And I want him to be legally divorced from his wife, and for her to have sole rights to all his assets."

"Ah!" the officer exclaimed. "Now I get it! You want this girl for yourself don't ya'? Oh, you're a sly one." Hitsugaya scoffed.

"I already have a wife," he sneered. "The girl is my cousin." The officer simply laughed.

"Whatever you say," he chuckled. "Well, I don't particularly care what your reasons are, they're none of my business. We'll have this man apprehended immediately."

"Thank you sir!" Hitsugaya said gratefully, feeling lighter than he had in a year. Momo was finally going to be free.

"I'll find a proper husband for her this time," he thought with relief. "Someone who will care about her in the manner she deserves."

ooooooooooooooooo

Hitsugaya walked into to the smithy in a daze.

"I got him," he said aloud, still not fully believing it. "I finally got my revenge." He had never felt so full of vindictive pleasure before. He was feeling…mischievous.

"Revenge?" Inoue asked curiously. "On who? Saito-san?" Hitsugaya checked as he thought about that, and he smirked wryly.

"Don't you worry about it Inoue-san," he said nonchalantly. "I just dealt with something from back home." But inside, the gears were turning.

"I think it's time," he thought slyly, "that I take a little more revenge."

He waited until Inoue left for lunch before making his move. It was the perfect time to carry out his plan as no one would think it was strange if he was caught going where he wanted to go.

Hitsugaya opened a bin containing a special dehydrating powder that he used to suck any extra water out of liquid metal solutions. The powder was super absorbent, since water incorporation weakened the final product. Hitsugaya had had this power drizzled on his skin many times before, and he knew exactly how much it burned. Careful to avoid touching it, he scooped a few spoonfuls into a burlap sack, and headed to his barrack.

It was thankfully deserted, since it was uncommon for people to come back here this soon after the start of lunch; they were usually too busy eating. He went over to his bed, but instead of opening the trunk containing his clothing, he opened the one that belonged to Saito. Holding his nose against the vile smell emanating from it, Hitsugaya bravely stuck his hand in. Luckily, it didn't take long to find what he was looking for; Saito's boxers. Feeling incredibly childish, and loving every second of it, Hitsugaya carefully lined the boxers with a thin, invisible layer of dehydrating powder. Mission accomplished, he replaced the boxers and had just left the barrack when another idea struck him.

"I've really lost my mind today, haven't I?" he thought, as he changed directions and headed back inside.

ooooooooooooooooo

"Woowee, they murdered us today!" Saito exclaimed as he ripped his clothing off.

"Uh huh," Hitsugaya replied distractedly. He usually avoided contact with Saito as much as possible, but today he was being particularly cautious, as he was afraid that looking at him for too long would cause him to lose it.

Saito's new "mattress," Ito-chan, reached into his trunk and handed him his clothing. Hitsugaya turned away, suppressed the maniacal grin on his face as best he could, and looked back just in time to see Saito's face's turn beet red as he stood there in nothing but his boxers.

"Something wrong?" Hitsugaya asked as casually as he could. Wow, he had never had so much trouble keeping a straight face before. Saito shook his head, clearly afraid to speak. Hitsugaya was on the brink of breaking down, and he thought he was a goner, when a strangled cry ripped through the barrack coming from the direction of Grimmjaw's bunk.

"What in the bloody hell?!" he screamed, jumping up and down like a wildcat. He too was clad only in a pair of blue boxers

"What's wrong, Grimmjaw-dono?" a concerned soldier asked.

"None of your damn business!" he snarled. Hitsugaya couldn't take it anymore. He dove into bed as quickly as he could and buried his face in his pillow to hide the grin that was threatening to split his face open. He had never in a million years believed that he could enjoy anything about the army this much.

And the best part of the whole affair was that Saito's bed was mercifully silent for a whole week.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Momo!" Matsumoto sang, coming into the dining room. "A letter came for you."

"Who's it from?" Karin asked curiously? "Don't tell me Toushiro snuck out a letter to you and couldn't figure out how to get one to me!" Momo giggled.

"I doubt it," she replied. Ever since the attack, Momo had been living at the Hitsugaya manor with Karin. They had become close friends over the year they had spent together, as they each dealt with the lack of a husband, albeit for very different reasons. Karin had considered going home to her own family, but decided that she would much rather stay in her new home with Momo, Matsumoto, and everyone else. She had come to love the Hitsugaya manor, even with the huge, gaping hole that Hitsugaya's absence had created. She couldn't imagine leaving it.

"It looks official," Matsumoto said, scanning the seal, which was imprinted with the army's insignia. She handed the letter to Momo, who slit it open and began to read. Her face turned paler with every word.

"Oi, Momo, are you alright?" Karin asked with concern. "What happened?"

"Souske-sama's been arrested," she said blankly, as if she didn't actually believe it. "On charges of spousal abuse. He's been sentenced to prison for life. And…" She paused for a moment, and when she continued, it was with great difficulty. "Our marriage has been rescinded, and I'm to receive all of his possessions. I'm…no longer married." Matsumoto's jaw fell open. Karin took a second to process that information, then jumped up and grabbed Momo's shoulders.

"Momo!" she screamed excitedly, shaking her in an attempt to knock some sense into the stunned girl. "You're free! You're free! You're no longer attached to that snake!" Momo still didn't seem to comprehend.

"But…"

"Don't 'but' me!" Karin ordered. "Don't tell me you're not over him yet? Seriously, now you can marry someone decent, like Kira!" Momo's face flushed horribly at Karin's words.

"Karin!" she gasped. "I don't think of Kira-kun that way!" Karin snorted.

"Oh please," she scoffed. "You spend more time with him than you do with anyone else! How many walks have you to gone on together in the garden? And if you mean to tell me that you haven't seen how much that boy is head over heels in love with you, then you are just about as blind as they come. You couldn't do better than him. Seriously." Momo gaped for a moment.

"I…I need to think about this for a while," she mumbled before scurrying out of the room. Karin shook her head in annoyance.

"I swear, that girl is so dense, it's amazing she can walk straight," Karin said fondly. Matsumoto chuckled.

"So we'll be having a wedding soon?" she asked.

"I assume so. It'll take Kira all of five minutes to propose when he gets this news. Mark my words, they'll be engaged by dinner." Karin picked up the letter and scanned it.

"You know, this must be Toushiro's doing," she said proudly. "There's no other reason for them to do this."

"I know," Matsumoto replied happily. "I guess it was a letter from him after all." Karin grinned.

"Wow, is he going to be surprised when he gets home," she chuckled. "Kira and Momo? The shock might just kill him."

"Oh, give the boy some credit," Matsumoto teased. "Maybe a comatose state for a month. But death? That's a little extreme."

"No," Karin shook her head as she smiled uncontrollably. "I think his surprise might kill just about anyone."

**Shout out to Miichiya Mikan who made the connection and saw this coming :)**


	19. Homecoming

**The moment you've all been waiting for: the reunion! I hope this chapter is long enough and fluffy enough to make up for the army darkness :)**

The infamous day finally arrived.

"We're…done," Hitsugaya gasped in disbelief, gazing at the sword in his hand as if it was made of gold. "We did it. We reached our quota. Inoue-san, we…"

"I know," she said excitedly, grinning uncontrollably and clasping her hands together. "We finally get to go home!"

"Yeah, we…wait, we?" Hitsugaya asked confused. "You're getting out too?" Inoue smiled.

"When you decided to keep me and not switch to someone else, I was told that I could leave as soon as you reached your quota." Hitsugaya gaped at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Inoue shrugged.

"I guess I just forgot." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"Even after three years, I still don't understand you," he mumbled. Inoue giggled.

"So, are we going to tell them that we finished?" she asked eagerly.

"Actually," Hitsugaya replied awkwardly. "There's one more sword I'd like to make before we tell them. I'm sure they won't begrudge me the materials after all the work I've done for them and it shouldn't take me that long."

"Ok!" Inoue exclaimed, racing over to the tool rack. "Let's get started!"

"Um, I'd actually rather do this one on my own," Hitsugaya stopped her. "I don't mean to be rude but…"

"It's a gift for your wife, isn't it?" Inoue asked knowingly. Hitsugaya nodded.

"Ok!" Inoue sang. "I totally understand. I'll just watch then."

"Thanks," Hitsugaya said gratefully as he began to work.

"You must be so excited," Inoue chatted as Hitsugaya mixed various metals together, trying to get the combination perfect. "You finally get to go back to your wife! After all this time. Ahhh, it's so nice to have a loving family isn't it?"

"Inoue-san," Hitsugaya began, "do you have anywhere to go?"

"Huh? Ah, no no no, don't misunderstand, Hitsugaya-san," she gasped, shaking her hands back and forth. "I didn't mean anything by that. I just…"

"You don't, do you?" Inoue ceased her ramblings.

"No," she admitted. Hitsugaya sighed.

"Why don't you come with me?" he offered. "There's plenty of room in my house, and I can help you find a job, or a husband, or something. I feel it's the least I can do to thank you for all your help."

"Oh!" Inoue gasped. "But, what about your wife? Won't she think it's strange?" Hitsugaya smirked. The last thing Karin had told him before he left was that she would beat him to a bloody pulp if he brought another woman home. He found it rather ironic.

"She'll understand," he assured her.

"Ok then," Inoue said with a smile. "I've got nowhere else to go anyway. Thank you very much."

"Don't mention it. Now let me get back to work so we can get out of here." Inoue giggled.

ooooooooooooooooo

Two figures dressed in plain, black traveling cloaks walked up the street towards the Hitsugaya manor. Other than a sword strung across one of their backs, they had no possessions. A gate with a coat of arms containing a dragon spiraling around a sword came into view.

"Woah, is this your house?" Inoue marveled. "It's so big!"

"I guess," Hitsugaya shrugged uncomfortably. "Anyway, I think I should go greet my family and explain to them who you are first. Otherwise my wife really may kill me."

"Ok!" Inoue replied. "I'll wait here for you." Hitsugaya nodded, pulled his hood up over his head, and turned the corner. He had no desire to go in through the front gate. That would alert the servants to his presence and the whole house would be swarming all over him before he could say, "I'm home." He wanted, if possible, to see Karin first, and spend a few moments alone with her before he was attacked by everyone. So he headed towards the back and snuck in through a little used and well hidden gate in the garden.

It had been three years, but Hitsugaya hadn't forgotten the layout. Luckily, he didn't run into anyone as he wandered the paths, hoping that maybe Karin had decided to go for a walk. He heard voices up ahead, and he crept as silently as he could into a bush, keeping himself as hidden as possible. He peaked through the branches and his heart leapt. Sitting on a bench, directly in his line of sight, were his two favorite women, Karin and Momo. Karin's face looked slightly older and her hair was longer, but it was unmistakably his beloved wife. Momo looked extremely happy, if tired, and was holding a bundle in her arms.

"I don't know what you expect from him Karin," Momo said. "He knew that job would take him four years. He's not a magician."

"I don't care," Karin replied. "He promised me he'd be done in three years. He's two weeks late." Momo chuckled.

"You miss him don't you?" Karin blushed.

"Nothing wrong with that right?" she defended. "Besides, I've had too much free time ever since Kira stole you away. I could do with the excitement of his return."

"Oh, is that what we're calling marriage nowadays?" Momo laughed.

"Marriage?" Hitsugaya gasped, the shock almost making him fall out of his bush. "Momo got _married_?! To Kira?" He was admittedly startled, but at the same time, he couldn't help smiling. Kira had clearly cared about Momo, that had been obvious to everyone, and while Hitsugaya didn't know much about him, it looked like he was making Momo happy. And, based on the way Karin was mocking her, it seemed like she approved.

"If she approves, I approve," Hitsugaya decided.

"And since when did you have free time?" Momo continued. Karin grinned.

"Good point." Just then, Matsumoto stepped around a corner and Hitsugaya could just barely see her past the leaves of his bush.

"Karin, I'm afraid that Hyourinmaru has eaten Yuri's ears," she proclaimed.

"Again?" Karin groaned, heaving a great dramatic sigh. Momo giggled.

"What was that about free time?" she teased. "Anyway, I'll let you deal with your crisis. I need to feed Shiro-chan." The bundle in her arms squirmed and a tiny hand reached out and grabbed onto a loose strand of Momo's hair.

"That's…that's a baby isn't it?!" Hitsugaya realized, feeling himself swell with joy. At least Momo had finally found some bliss in her life. She deserved it. He couldn't be happier for her.

Matsumoto left with Momo and Karin stood up and stretched.

"Time to deal with that crazy Hyourinmaru," she said to no one in particular. Hitsugaya snagged the opportunity to have Karin alone and stepped out from behind the bush.

"What's a Hyourinmaru?" he asked casually. Karin whipped around, but instead of screaming like most women would do upon seeing a strange, hooded man randomly appearing in her home, she challenged him.

"Who are you?!" she cried furiously. "How did you get in here?"

"Did you really forget my voice already Karin?" Hitsugaya asked, and Karin gasped.

"Tou…Toushiro?" she asked in disbelief. Hitsugaya smirked and pulled the hood off of his face.

"I'm home," he announced softly, loving the look of shock in Karin's eyes. But it disappeared all too quickly.

"Damn it Toushiro, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" she said crossly.

"I'll take that as a 'welcome back,'" Hitsugaya chided.

"You're late," Karin scolded, coming over to him. "By two weeks in fact."

"Sorry," he apologized with a grin.

"You'd better be," Karin insisted, but she too was smiling.

"But I made you something to make up for it."

"Oh?" Karin asked curiously. Hitsugaya removed the sword from his back and handed it to her.

"You wasted time making me a sword instead of coming straight home!?" she rebuked. "What's wrong with you?" Hitsugaya shook his head in amusement.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you Karin?" She shrugged.

"Maybe. A lot happened while you were gone. Momo got remarried."

"I heard," he replied. "And had a baby."

"You little eavesdropper," she teased. Her face became serious for a moment. "You didn't change, did you?" she asked anxiously. Hitsugaya smiled.

"I don't think so," he replied honestly. "Well, except for developing a new hatred for the army. And a love of proper hygiene. But I spent so much time in the smithy that I wasn't really affected by the brainwashing. I think I'm pretty unscathed."

"Good," Karin said thankfully, and Hitsugaya was amazed at the relief that spread across her face at his words. She really had been concerned.

"Aren't you going to look at it?" he asked.

"What?"

"The sword silly. It's no ordinary battle sword." Karin unsheathed the sword and her jaw fell open. It was the most incredible sword she had ever seen, even more amazing than Senbonzakura. The metal was the palest blue that faded to white around the edges and it was covered in intricate carvings that made it appear frosted over. It looked so much like a block of ice that Karin was almost convinced it would be cold to the touch. The guard was the shape of a four pointed star and light purple cords were threaded around the green hilt.

"This is…spectacular," Karin said with awe. "I can't believe you actually made this." Hitsugaya shrugged.

"I got sick of making battle swords. Plus, I wanted to bring you something nice to make up for the fact that I was gone so long." He sighed. "I missed you," he said sincerely, reaching up his hand to trace the familiar lines on her face. "Terribly." Karin felt her body heat rise and her heart start to race at the first contact they had had in three years.

"Then show me just how much you missed me!" she demanded. Hitsugaya smirked.

"Gladly." And, finally, after three years of separation, the couple kissed. Hitsugaya snaked his arms around his wife's waist, loving every second, basking in the smell of her hair, the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips. He was home. He was really home. He felt blissfully at peace as he lost himself in the moment, and he was so engrossed in kissing Karin that he almost didn't hear the children's voices.

"Yumi, give me my ears back!"

"Can't! Hyourinmaru ate them!"

"Kaachan, why are you eating that man's face?" That did it. Hitsugaya broke himself out of the spell of his wife's embrace and gaped at her like he had never seen her before.

"K…kaa…chan?" he stuttered, positive that he had misheard something. Karin beamed at him.

"Toushiro," she said joyously, smiling so widely it threatened to split her face open. "I want you to meet your daughters." As if in slow motion, Hitsugaya turned his head to see three little girls standing below him. The first had long white hair and eyes so dark they seemed almost black. The second had raven hair pulled back in a braid and eyes that twinkled like emeralds. And the third had curly blond locks and chocolate brown eyes, and was clutching a small blue dragon with red eyes.

"Daughters?" Hitsugaya gasped, still not sure he believed it, even with the evidence standing right in front of him. "We have _daughters_?" Karin grinned uncontrollably.

"Yes," she replied. "Triplets. Yuki, Yuri, and Yumi. Girls, I'd like you to meet your touchan."

"Touchan?" the raven haired girl asked expectantly, looking up at Hitsugaya with her startling eyes. Hitsugaya was convinced that his heart melted right then and there. See, there it was in a little puddle on the ground.

"Yes Yuri-chan, touchan," Karin confirmed. "I've told you about him right?" Hitsugaya knelt down to face his daughters properly, his brain still reeling with too much information.

"Are you really my touchan?" Yuri asked, sticking her finger in her mouth. Hitsugaya reached out and patted her head.

"Yes Yuri-chan," he said, smiling wider than he had ever done in his life. "I'm your touchan." Touchan. The word wasn't real. It was too miraculous.

"Yay!" Yuri cried, running into Hitsugaya's arms. "Touchan finally came home!" Yuki giggled excitedly and joined her sister. Hitsugaya hugged the two girls as tightly as he dared, willing himself not to cry at the enormity of it all.

"Yumi-chan?" Karin asked, looking at the small blond girl who was still standing a bit away from Hitsugaya looking nervous. "What's wrong?" Hitsugaya looked up from the other two to gaze at the daughter who had yet to accept him.

"He doesn't look like me," Yumi pouted, clutching the dragon closer to her. "He's gots Yuki's hair and Yuri's eyes, but he don'ts gots anything of mine." Hitsugaya looked up at Karin desperately as she did her best not to laugh at how cute she found her daughter.

"Oh but he does," Karin assured her. "Did you know that Hyourinmaru used to belong to him?"

"Hyourinmaru did?" Yumi asked hopefully. Karin nodded. Yumi looked down at the dragon in her hands.

"Is this really my touchan Hyourinmaru?" she asked it, and this time, Karin did laugh. Yumi put her ear to the dragon's mouth and nodded.

"Ah, I see," she said as seriously as a two year old can. "Ok!" And with that she launched herself at Hitsugaya, who now did his best to wrap his arms around all three girls at once. Karin knelt behind him and placed her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"We make beautiful daughters Karin," he said lovingly, gazing down at the multicolored heads pressed up against him. Karin chuckled.

"Yeah, we do," she agreed, turning Hitsugaya's face to kiss him properly.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Hitsugaya closed his eyes tightly against the assault to his ears.

"I think you broke something Matsumoto," he moaned, but he gave her a smile nevertheless.

"Hitsugaya-sama!" she cried excitedly. "What are you doing here? When did you get home?"

"About five minutes ago."

"Ne ne, Ran-bachan," Yuki said eagerly. "Did you know? Touchan's here!" She pointed at Hitsugaya. "See, here he is!" Matsumoto giggled.

"I see that Yuki-chan," she replied merrily. "Do you think he'll let me give him a hug?"

"Have you ever needed permission before?" Hitsugaya asked with a sigh. "The only reason you haven't given me one already is because I have girls in my arms." Matsumoto laughed again. But Hitsugaya stood up anyway and allowed Matsumoto to hug him.

"Come on," she said enthusiastically. "Everyone will want to see you!" Hitsugaya scooped up the two nearest girls as Karin picked up the third and together they headed out of the garden.

"Um, Karin," Hitsugaya said as soon as Matsumoto was distracted with screaming her lungs off for everyone to come greet Hitsugaya. "There's something I need to tell you. I brought home…" But before he could finish, several dozen people poured out of the house and his words were drowned out by the servants who were all welcoming him back and asking him so many questions at once, he couldn't decipher a single one. Momo came over to him, squealing almost as loudly as Matsumoto did, and they exchanged hugs and compliments on each other's children.

"I'm really glad you're happy Momo," Hitsugaya said truthfully. Momo beamed at him.

"Thanks Hitsugaya-kun."

"Hitsugaya-sama!" shouted an authoritarian voice, and Hitsugaya turned to see his chief of security heading towards them, leading a redhead in a black cloak by the arm.

"Uh oh," he thought frantically. "I never got the chance to tell Karin about Inoue-san."

"Do you know this girl?" the security guard asked roughly, indicating Inoue, who was gripping the back of her head in an embarrassed fashion.

"Sorry, Hitsugaya-san," she said rather cheerfully for the situation. "But he saw me outside and asked me why I was loitering and…I'm not interrupting anything am I? Oh, are those your children? You never told me you had kids! They're so cute! Hi girls, I'm Inoue Orihime…"

"Toushiro," Karin said sternly, coming over to him. "Who is she?" Hitsugaya felt the eyes of everyone around him boring into his head, but it was Karin's gaze he returned.

"Karin, this is Inoue-san," he introduced. "She was my assistant in the army. She has no family and no home to go back to, so I asked her if she wanted to stay with us for a while. She's the reason I got out so early. Without her help in the smithy, I…"

"I thought I told you I'd kill you if you brought another woman home," Karin said darkly. Hitsugaya blanched.

"Karin, I promise, it's not what it looks like. Nothing happened between us…" but Karin finally lost control and burst out laughing.

"Oh please, you _still_ can't take a joke? We've been married for three years already!" She approached Inoue and held out her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Inoue. I'm Karin, Toushiro's wife."

"Oh, Hitsugaya-san told me all about you!" she exclaimed, shaking her hand so hard Karin thought it might just fall off. "I'm so excited to finally meet you! You sound like such an amazing woman!" Karin chuckled.

"I'm not that great," she assured her. "If I was, I wouldn't make my husband quaff every time he looked at me." She flashed Hitsugaya a grin and he shook his head.

"Your kaachan's so mean to me," he told the girls in his arms.

"Really?" Yuki asked concerned. "But I thoughts you was strong, kind, and handsome?"

"Oh I am, am I?" Hitsugaya asked amused. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Karin who was blushing furiously.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

"I didn't say anything," he replied innocently. Everyone present laughed.

"Come on!" Matsumoto directed. "Let's have a party! Sake all around!" As much as Hitsugaya wanted to protest, he knew he had no control over this one. He shifted the girls higher up on his arms and cocked his head to indicate to Karin to join him. She placed her free arm around his waist, and the happy family began to head inside.

"Let's go, Inoue!" Karin called back over her shoulder. "We're going to leave you behind!"

"Coming!" she sang. She walked a little ways behind them, observing Hitsugaya and Karin, as they continued to tease each other, and she smiled contentedly.

"I've never seen Hitsugaya-san smile before," she thought to herself. "I'm so happy for him."

**I think I almost died writing the part where he meets his daughters. I awed so much I scared my cat. Don't worry, it's not over. There are still a few chapters left.**

**Oh, and I know everyone names Hitsugaya's kid Yuki, but I've wanted them to have triplets named Yuki, Yuri, and Yumi for the **_**longest**_** time, and I thought this was a good place to do that.**


	20. Story Time

**Sorry this chapter is a little short, but the last one was really long, so maybe that makes up for it. Also, sorry for the late post, but I was out of town this weekend. Anyway, on with the show :)**

Tears of laughter ran down Matsumoto's face as Karin pounded her fist on the table, attempting vainly to regain her ability to speak. Momo and Kira looked aghast and Inoue suppressed a giggle and scolded Hitsugaya at the same time.

"I can't _believe_ you never told me!" Inoue whined. "You are so lucky you didn't get caught. You really shouldn't do things like that, Hitsugaya-san." Hitsugaya smirked.

"Yeah, but I just couldn't resist. They deserved it for beating me up." Matsumoto wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Oh, we never had so much fun when I was in the army," she chuckled.

"I thought the army was hell on earth!" Karin stuttered, having finally calmed down enough from her laughing fit to talk again.

"It was!" Hitsugaya insisted. "Just because I pulled some silly, childish prank doesn't mean I enjoyed myself."

"Yeah, but that was _brilliant_!" Karin continued. "I mean, filling those jerks boxers with dehydrating powder? Priceless."

"I'll bet Ito-chan enjoyed her time off," Inoue noted.

"I'm sure she did," Hitsugaya replied.

"What?" Karin asked confused.

"Nothing!" Hitsugaya, Inoue, and Matsumoto all answered at once. Karin glared at them suspiciously.

"Ok, what don't you guys want me to know?" she asked threateningly. Hitsugaya gulped. How on earth was he supposed to explain the concept of mattresses to her? Especially when both Inoue and Matsumoto had been them? Luckily, a saving grace came in the form of an enormous yawn, courtesy of Yuri.

"I think we should get the girls to bed," Karin said, her motherly instinct overwhelming her curiosity. "It's way past their bedtime."

"Can I help?" Hitsugaya asked hopefully. He wanted to spend as much time with his daughters as possible, but so far, he hadn't had a chance to be alone with just them and Karin since their first encounter.

"Of course touchan!" Karin said brightly. Hitsugaya's heart fluttered at the word. He didn't think he would ever get used it. He lifted Yumi, who had been on his lap, into his arms, and took Yuri from Matsumoto. Karin scooped up Yuki from her own lap.

"Matsumoto, you'll show Inoue-san her room?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Of course!" Matsumoto replied. Hitsugaya and Karin wished everyone a goodnight before heading upstairs.

"We should go to bed too," Momo said, looking over at Kira, who nodded.

Once they were alone, Matsumoto turned to Inoue.

"Hitsugaya-sama was your tyrant, wasn't he?" she asked without preamble. Inoue nodded.

"Oh, but nothing happened!" she exclaimed, shaking her hands back and forth. "We just worked in the smithy together, he never once called me at night…"

"I know," Matsumoto cut her off. Inoue gaped at her.

"But…" Inoue stuttered. Matsumoto smiled.

"Hitsugaya-sama has a stronger sense of morality and commitment than anyone I've ever met. Even if he hated Karin, he would never cheat on her. Although, I think the fact that he's completely and totally infatuated with her didn't hurt. Besides," she chuckled, "you look way too much like me for him ever to be attracted to you!" Matsumoto laughed at her own joke and Inoue managed a giggle.

"He's a very special man," Inoue said with a sigh. "I wish I could meet someone who loved me half as much as he loves his wife." Matsumoto looked at her thoughtfully.

"You know what Orihime," she pondered. "I think I might just have someone for you. He's a good friend of Karin's brother and I met him a few times last year when they came to visit. His name's Ishida Uyruu…"

oooooooooooooooo

"You're really not mad about Inoue-san?" Hitsugaya asked as he helped Karin change the girls' clothes. Karin sighed.

"Well, I can't say that I'm particularly thrilled," she admitted. "I mean, you spent every day with that beautiful woman. And it was so soon after our marriage. And you clearly cared about her enough to bring her home with you."

"It bothers you doesn't it?" Hitsugaya said seriously. "I know it does."

"Actually," Karin replied, "I think I'd be more bothered if you _hadn't _brought her home." Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"It shows that you weren't afraid to have me meet her," she explained. "If you had cheated on me, you wouldn't want to parade your affair around in front of me, now would you?" Hitsugaya thought about that. It seemed logical enough.

"Yeah, but I still shouldn't have done it. It's not fair to you to have her around. I just felt bad that she had nowhere else to go, and she was really helpful to me. She drove me up a wall at times, but I mean it when I say I never would have gotten out of there in three years without her help. But I should have thought about it a little more." Karin shrugged.

"What are you going to do here that you couldn't have done back in the army? At least this way I can keep an eye on you." She winked at him.

"I told you, we didn't do anything!" Hitsugaya scoffed. "I could have. Easily. Everyone else did, all the time. No one would have said a word. In fact, it was weirder to them that I didn't do anything with her. But I never even thought about it. Not once. I could never do something like that. I love you too much." He hadn't said that since he'd been home. It felt...nice. Really nice. So he decided to say it again.

"I love you Karin." Karin looked at him curiously.

"I love you too," she replied, surprised at how much she also enjoyed saying it. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment as new waves of affection washed over them.

"Touchan?" Yuki asked, bringing Hitsugaya and Karin back down to earth as their daughter shuffled back and forth eagerly in her crib. "Will you tell us a story?"

"A story?"

"I tell them one every night," Karin explained. "Do you know any?" Hitsugaya smirked. Thanks to Inoue, he knew a thousand stories that would be more than appropriate for two year old girls. But he could tell those anytime. Tonight, there was only one story that he wanted to tell.

"As a matter of fact," he replied, with a glance at Karin, "I do."

"Once upon a time," he began, using Inoue's techniques for telling a fairy tale, "there lived a beautiful princess who was engaged to be married to a wealthy prince from a far off land. But the princess was not happy about the engagement. She didn't like the prince at all. Her father the king had to practically drag her to the wedding, and when the time came for the newlyweds to kiss, she punched him in the face instead. The prince was very sad that his new bride hated him so much. They spent the entire next day avoiding each other, but eventually, the princess decided that she should give the prince a chance. They started talking, and the princess learned that the prince wasn't the spoiled, selfish, lazy person she thought he was. And the prince discovered that his princess was actually very kind, funny, and adventurous. The more time they spent together, the more they got along, until one day, they found that, even though they had started off on the wrong foot, somehow, they had fallen in love. They had learned their lesson about how wrong first impressions could be. And so the prince and his princess lived happily ever after." Hitsugaya finished the first fairy tale he had ever told in his life and looked up at Karin anxiously. She had an extremely amused expression on her face.

"Touchan," Yumi asked in awe. "How do you know our favorite story?"

"Huh?" Hitsugaya gasped. Karin blushed.

"Kaachan tells us that story all the time!" Yuki agreed.

"They ask for it," Karin explained. "They think it's funny." Hitsugaya smiled affectionately at his wife.

"Ne ne, touchan!" Yuri chimed. "Do you know our lullaby too?"

"Lullaby?"

"Yeah, the one kaachan sings to us!" He glanced at Karin who nodded.

"I think I might," he told his daughters. He took Karin's hand and sang the only lullaby he knew.

_Oh little bird,_

_Where do you go?_

_When the snow starts to fall,_

_And the wind starts to blow?_

_Oh little bird,_

_Do you still sing your song?_

_When the days are so cold,_

_And the nights are so long?_

_Oh little bird,_

_For spring do I yearn._

_And so until then,_

_I await your return._

ooooooooooooooo

"I can't believe you told them that story," Karin said as they left the dragon room. Hitsugaya shrugged.

"Why not? It's a good story." Karin chuckled. "But, do you think maybe I should have told them that it's true."

"They know," Karin assured him. "They just like it better when it's about a prince and a princess."

"I have so much to learn about them," Hitsugaya said sadly. "They're my daughters, but I know nothing about them."

"Don't worry, they're delightful. Trust me, you won't lack for attention from them. They'll drive you crazy before you know it." Hitsugaya smirked.

"Now," Karin began, taking Hitsugaya's hands in hers and looking at him with a gleam in her eye. "Would you like a proper welcome home party?" Hitsugaya's response was to push Karin up against the wall as he kissed her with such lust and intensity that he surprised even himself with the passion he was able to generate. His hands roamed up and down her sides, over her arms, and through her hair, wanting to touch every part of her he could reach. She gripped onto him as tightly as a lifeline, as their love and need for each other reached a breaking point. The years of separation seemed to float away as their bodies brought them closer and closer together. All their limbs intertwined until Hitsugaya couldn't tell where he ended and Karin began. And that was just the way he liked it.

For the second time that day, the couple was interrupted by the arrival of Matsumoto, who had just entered the hallway.

"Get a room!" she catcalled. Hitsugaya didn't even have time to register his embarrassment at being caught in that state before Karin yanked him into their room and slammed the door behind her, leaping back into his arms the second the door was shut and kissing him with ferocity and fervor. As they fell into bed, Hitsugaya decided that today was officially the happiest day of his entire life.

**There you go, a little more smut for those of you who thought I didn't add enough last time. Don't worry, the story's not over yet, but unfortunately, I think the next one will be the last. Sorry, but I'm out of material.**

**Also, shout out to littleva for totally calling the Ishida part :)**


	21. Nerves

**Last chapter. Sigh.  
**

_Seventeen Years Later_

"You're nervous."

"I'm _not_ nervous!"

"Yes you are."

"How do you know?"

"Your kimono's on backwards." Hitsugaya looked down at himself and realized that, indeed, he had somehow forgotten how to put on his clothing.

"Shut up," he grumbled, slipping off his inside-out kimono as Karin laughed her head off.

"Calm down," she said, coming over to him and smoothing out the wrinkles on his collar. "Honestly, I've never seen someone who gets so worked up about weddings."

"Well, they haven't exactly been calm affairs now have they?" he noted. That was true enough. An earthquake had ripped right through the center of Yuri's wedding, Yumi's fiancé had been convinced that the wedding was really the next day and had forgotten to show up, and Yuki had actually taken after her mother and punched her new husband in the face for messing up his vows.

Karin kissed him playfully.

"Yeah, but our wedding was the best, wasn't it?" she teased.

"You're only proving my point," he said with a smirk and Karin chuckled.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hitsugaya-sama, Karin," came Matsumoto's voice. "The girls are here."

"Let's go," Karin said. She took her husband's hand and together they followed Matsumoto to the entrance hall to greet their daughters and their husbands.

"Touchan!" Yumi squealed when he entered, diving into his arms. Of all his children, Yumi was the biggest daddy's girl. Always had been.

"I can't believe this is finally happening," Yuri said excitedly. "After all these years! I seriously thought this wedding was going to take place a year ago at least."

"They're only sixteen," Yuki pointed out. Yuri shrugged.

"So? They've been completely smitten with each other since they were three."

"Speaking of which," Yumi began, disentangling herself from her father's arms, "where is our chibi little brother?"

"Who are you calling chibi?" drawled a voice, and a Hitsugaya clone stepped into the room.

"Touji!" Yuri said happily. "Look at you, dressed like man!"

"I _am_ a man!" he snarled.

"Just because you're getting married doesn't make you a man," Yuki chided. "You still make me light the forge for you everyday, remember?" Touji scoffed.

"Girls, be nice," Karin reprimanded without conviction. "It _is_ his wedding day."

"That never stopped you!" Yuki said and everyone laughed. The story of Hitsugaya and Karin's wedding day was a family favorite.

"They're here!" Yumi exclaimed, peering out the window at the carriage that was pulling up to the entrance. All the blood seemed to drain out of Touji's face at that announcement. Karin noticed the change that came over her son and smirked knowingly.

"Go talk to Touji," she whispered to Hitsugaya. "He could use some fatherly words of wisdom. Besides, he shouldn't see Mariko-chan before the wedding." Hitsugaya nodded.

"Come on," he said, indicating to Touji to follow him. "We need to talk." While the girls were distracted with greeting the visitors, Hitsugaya surreptitiously slipped Touji out of the room.

"It's natural to be nervous," Hitsugaya told his son. "This is a life changing day for you."

"I'm not nervous!" Touji insisted. Hitsugaya smiled slightly. His son was so similar to him in a lot of ways. But he was still remarkably insecure about many things, something he attempted to cover for with a rough and often bratty attitude. That, Hitsugaya assumed, was mainly due to the fact that he had three confident, and rather outspoken, older sisters, who teased him mercilessly.

"Part of being a man is knowing when to admit to a weakness," Hitsugaya advised. "But being nervous on your wedding day is _not_ a weakness."

"You don't have any weaknesses," Touji grumbled. Hitsugaya smirked.

"Yeah I do." Touji looked up at his father expectantly.

"Your mother. That woman can turn my knees to jelly in a second flat. And that's what I love about her." Touji gaped at his father. He had never heard his parents talk about each other like that before.

"Look Touji," Hitsugaya continued. "Being married isn't easy. You're going to have to work at it all the time. But I've never seen you be as happy as you are when Mariko is around. She's very good for you. And you're luckier than some. You chose your wife rather than having her chosen for you. You're going to have a wonderful life together."

"How can you all think that far ahead?" Touji asked desperately, his anxiety finally showing through. "I'm just trying to survive today, but Mariko's been going on and on about a house and children and growing old together." Hitsugaya smirked.

"Yeah, that sounds like Mariko," he said amused. Mariko had certainly inherited her mother's spunk, spirit, and zest for life, but she had also acquired her father's practicality and foresight. Those traits, combined with her mother's beauty, which had also been passed on to her, made Mariko quite the sought after little bachelorette. She had had more than one marriage proposal in the past year. But she had waited patiently for Touji, who had finally, after much encouragement from his mother and not-so-subtle prodding from his sisters and Matsumoto, built up the courage to ask her.

"But Touji," Hitsugaya added, placing a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder, "there's nothing wrong with taking life one day at a time. You made the decision to get married. That's big enough in itself. I'm very proud of you."

"Really?" Touji asked hopefully.

"Really," Hitsugaya replied sincerely. Touji allowed himself a rare smile.

"Now cover your face and let's head back," Hitsugaya said. "The wedding's about to start."

They went back to the entrance hall where Mariko was waiting with her parents.

"Hitsugaya-san!" chimed Mariko's mother, waving energetically.

"Hi Ishida-san," Hitsugaya greeted her. The former Inoue Orihime beamed at him.

"Would you have ever believed all those years ago that our children would actually be getting married?" she sang. Hitsugaya shook his head.

"I still don't believe it," he replied. Just then, Momo poked her head around the corner.

"What are you all doing?" she asked impatiently. "We're ready to start!" With a final encouraging look at his son, Hitsugaya helped usher everyone out of the entrance hall and towards the garden.

"So what did you tell him?" Karin asked curiously as she fell into step beside Hitsugaya.

"I told him you were my weakness." Karin couldn't decide whether to laugh or not.

"And I told him there was nothing wrong with that." This time, Karin did laugh.

"Well if I'm your weakness, then what's your strength?" Hitsugaya reached out and squeezed her hand.

"You are," he replied with a small smile.

"Well that's very poetic of you," Karin mocked, but she grinned at him anyway.

"So what are we going to do now?" Hitsugaya asked, gazing out at his family who all seemed to be attempting to make Touji and Mariko feel as uncomfortable as possible. "All our children are married off."

"Let's have another one!" Karin proclaimed.

"I was thinking more of going on a trip for a few weeks, but…"

"Well, maybe it's not your choice." Hitsugaya stopped dead.

"Karin, are you…?" He floundered for words as Karin's face broke into a maniacal grin.

"Oi, tousan, kaasan!" Touji called back to his frozen parents. "We're going to start without you!"

"We'll tell them tomorrow," Karin decided, kissing him lightly to bring him back to reality. "Let Touji have his day."

"We really can't have a calm wedding day in this family, can we?" he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Karin beamed at him.

"Nope!" she said happily. "And I wouldn't have it any other way!"

**And they all lived happily ever after :P  
**

**I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope you all had just as much fun reading it. I really want to thank you all for your support. I never in a million years expected this story to get as many reviews as it did. Over 300! That's crazy!**

**Anywho, as has become semi-customary with me, I'll be starting another story fairly soon (I can't stay away from writing for too long. I get bored.) Not entirely sure what it's going to be called yet, but it's another HitsuKarin (obviously :P). I still need to work out a few details in my mind before I'm confident enough to post it, but it should be up in a few days (or maybe as soon as tomorrow, you never know with me), so keep an eye out. Again, thank you all for your love and support and humorous words. Without you, writing wouldn't be nearly as interesting :)**


End file.
